


Heartstrings

by CorvinaFarrin



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Dark Phoenix - Freeform, Elves, Epic Battles, Foolish rulers, Fundy is pog, Great Wyrm, Immortality, Kings and Queens, Mortals, Multiple powers each, Mythical Beings, Necromancers, Niki and Techno dynamic, Nymphs - Freeform, Panic Attacks, Phoenixes, Protective Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Shadow Dragon, Shapeshifters - Freeform, Sibling kind of relationships, Silver dragon, Surprises (unless you can guess the plot), Torture, War, Wizards, dream team, everyone is hurt, fire breathing dragons, life and death, satyrs, sleepy bois inc - Freeform, there might be more characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:22:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27727439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorvinaFarrin/pseuds/CorvinaFarrin
Summary: "You're the chosen one Niki- a Queen-and be it to revive or burn your kingdom down, it is up to you."Techno and Niki dynamic, kingdoms and wizards, dragons and phoenixes- Read it ;)
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound/Darryl Noveschosch/Sapnap, Dave | Technoblade & Niki | Nihachu, Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot, Fundy & Wilbur & Philza, Niki | Nihachu & Wilbur Soot, Philza & Wilbur Soot, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Comments: 1
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

_They often beat her until blood ran rivulets down her temples. Steel cuffs earned her ringlets of scars and bruises around her wrists but when she ran away, she forgot about her wounds. The King and Queen-her parents were gone. Her brother was exiled 5 years ago. The kingdom was left in her hands but the demands of advisors were too much. They wanted her to oppose her beliefs. The solution? Running away. So she did and she starved. 31 days of rationing food until all that was left was water. Death-death was so close and she wanted it because she only ever lived in darkness. The void of the afterlife would be nothing compared to the shadow of her tyrannical parents._

But she persevered until her last minute and it was worth it. Worth it because she found a home and a person that cared for _her_ and not what she could be.

A low growl behind her set her feet to a halt. It was a sign she learnt to obey.

"Stop. Listen"

She straightened her back, leaving the daydreams behind her. A slow drip of water towards the right tickled her senses and the creaking of rotting boards echoed down the tunnels, but there was nothing more.

"What is it?" she whispered, curious as to what tripped her partner's smell. 

He growled again, raising his head to sniff the dust filled air. 

"Poison" 

Nichachu furrowed her brows at the whispered word. 

"Poison?" That would be a new discovery-

Her company shifted forward- a burst of wind stopping her tongue from flicking another question. A screech caught her off guard but Technoblade reacted faster. He bared his teeth at the approaching predator and in one swift motion, snapped the neck off the creature. The body slumped to the ground with a final thud.

"Poison" Techno spat.

Niki gasped and dropped her dagger-a loud clank against stone. She reached out to him with the edge of her cloak.

"Won't that kill you?" she asked breathlessly as she wiped the green liquid from the edges of Technoblade's mouth. He lowered her shaking hand.

"Maybe," he shrugged, "If I wasn't a dragon"

Niki searched his eyes for amusement. A flicker of it made the pupils of his eyes sparkle like that of a gem. She laughed and let her cloak float back to its place. 

"I suppose it would be impossible for me to replicate your little attack then?"

Technoblade's eyes widened, a poisoned grin raising the edges of his eyes along with his dripping lips. "I would advise you to not go around biting the heads off spiders. It isn't a recommended meal."

Careless laughter filled the long forgotten area. 

Niki swiped a joy filled tear from her eye. 

"I think our exploration is done for the day" Techno hinted.

Niki quietened her voice and returned him with a silent nod. She pressed the tip of her boot to the hilt of her dagger. Another smile threaded her lips as it flipped and landed perfectly into her open palm. 

A soft approval landed with it. "You're getting good at that." 

She sheathed her only possession and started toward the mouth of the cave. Niki shrugged with an attempt to hide her overflowing delight. 

"I know" she sang, as her brother morphed into a beast and sealed the mineshaft with a huff of fire and rock.

***

A crackling fireplace on an afternoon was tradition. Braiding Techno's mane of abundant rosy hair was simply a habit.

Niki rested her weary head against the smooth wall of her home. The scent of thyme and mint was printed on her fingers as she laced together strands of pink hair. The night was still as she worked.  
Technoblade had somehow managed to hunt every mob in the caves surrounding their area. The mineshaft came as a surprise when they went out searching for the repetitive screeches. Luckily, they only had to seal the cave. It wasn't as complicated as their other experiences. 

Techno's beastly head rested soundlessly on her lap, his breathing was steady as she fumbled over the familiar areas on his head. His braids were personally gorgeous once complete. She remembered her first encounter with him, when his hair had been cut short and was tucked beneath a hood of strange black. He approached her at her worst, when she was biting back tears of regret and physical pain. _She had run away that day...she was royalty...next in line for the throne._

_"Rid our country of those wretched beasts and you will live a fruitful life." ___

____

Niki brushed her smooth fingers over Techno's bare scales. She had always had a love for the beasts of the forest. As Queen, she wanted to make them and humans equals. But rumours spread like wildfire in a palace. Hate escalated even faster. 

____

Niki shivered from the haunting daydream. Sometimes she wished that the piercing memories would go away, but they continued to prick at every corner of her mind so that they bled endlessly into the broad scope of her thoughts. Almost like poison.

____

Technoblade shifted beneath her touch, prompting her to continue with her intricate braiding.

____

Niki felt a sisterly love cradle her memories of him.

____

It was 2 years ago when he held an arm out to her, a parcel in hand. He set it in the space between them as she feebly brushed aside tears.

____

She opened the poorly wrapped parcel to reveal a single potato.

____

As a stranger at the time, he managed to make her smile. 

____

Beside mythical creatures, she had a special place for vegetation. His kind thought developed a sense of curiosity for the man. The simple gesture had led them to becoming friends. 

____

She finialled her handiwork with a silk ribbon. He knew more about her than the royal men and women she used to be crowded by, and in that, she found comfort.

____

"Family" she whispered.

____

***

____

Their family was never the same without their older brother. 

____

It was torture to bear his burdens and responsibilities. It was an endless pain to wake up with a missing soul. 

____

Wilbur watched the setting sun with eyes tired since the day Technoblade had left. His mind was constantly stirring up excuses for his brother's disappearance. Was it something he said?  
Was it the way he had said it? Maybe it was something he didn't do....Perhaps his brother was defeated by a worthy opponent that day.  
Wilbur wrapped his arms around his sweatered torso.

____

No

____

He was skilled enough to protect himself, and besides, Technoblade never dies.

____

Wilbur glanced at the frame hanging from the wall of his bedroom. It was trimmed with gold and contained a strand of everyone's hair. Each hair danced under the lantern light; swirling and twisting into different shapes and forms above its owners names. There were 6 in total. Each one buzzed with life, indicating that the person it was plucked from, was alive.  
Tommy, Tubbo, Philza, Fundy, Wilbur and...

____

Techno's glowed brighter than the stars that night, its pink emitting a faint heat. 

____

"Damn you Technoblade" 

____

He sighed heavily and closed his eyes- ignoring the strokes of colour in the sky. He was tired of sunsets. Tired of waiting. Tired of being responsible for people stronger than him.

____

Wilbur rubbed his fingers together. They were rounded and layered by a callousness which he earned due to his musical ability. He stretched his left, char-drenched wing with envy.

____

He wasn't like his family. They were dragons and he?

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He was the black sheep. Born as gentle as the moon in its fullest days.

____

He didn't have to take morphing lessons like his younger siblings. He was already born partially human.

____

He didn't have to watch his instructors when they taught them to hide their claws. He didn't have any.

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Wilbur held his knees close to his chest.

____

Technoblade had always been there to protect him from the hate of younger children. Technoblade had always challenged the people that gave him weird looks and stares. 

____

Wilbur opened his eyes as the final rays of light disappeared beyond rolling hills. 

____

Sunsets were more beautiful to watch when they were experienced with beautiful people. He scoured the trees helplessly for a small figure that had never returned to him either. 

____

Nichachu. His hate for her screamed louder than the hate for Techno. She was a memory he wished he could erase completely. Their secret visits and-

____

Wilbur halted his trail of thoughts. She wouldn't come back.

____

He sunk into the void of his mind, voices calling him to drift off into a nightmare again.

____

"They never come back"

____


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We were so close and yet so far"

He choked down the flames in his throat. Burning down villages and tearing down the walls of the castle was not what he was taught. His father's voice penetrated through his wrong ideas.

"Remember your morals, Fundy. Tolerance and patience."

He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword. "Tolerance" he breathed. 

A faint breeze tousled his discoloured hair, sending pinpricks of ice down his human spine. He felt vulnerable in this form, his bare neck and slivers of skin unprotected by his usual ocherous scales. If it were not for the armour throttling his limbs, he would have felt pregnable but he was properly geared. The emblem carved into his chestplate gave other knights a sense of power but to Fundy, it was a sickening distraction. He kept his pretence of serving the King for a year now, and he was growing tired of it. He wanted to stab the cruel leader directly in his heart and tear the flesh from his bones like the petals of a flower. He expression, however, didn't show his inner desires.

He stared straight ahead as the King sentenced another innocent citizen to death. 

"Penalty, death" the speaker announced, scribbling the statement on his yellowed scroll. Fundy bit the sneer that was slowly crawling across his lips. How long would this last? When was the right time to strike? 

His questioning eyes met those of his father who stood tall on the other side of the room. His pale hair shone brighter than the wrinkles underlining his searching eyes. Unlike him, Philza had a lower position in the castle. He was a mere servant who completed his errands faster than the workers half his age. He was older and unable to fight but he did his less appealing duties with a fervency that Fundy admired.  
The man raised his head to Fundy's worried expression and parted his lips ever so slightly. "Remain strong"

It was all Fundy needed to keep his straightened posture.

Today had been worse than any other. People that chose to stand for what they believed in were being thrown into cells or tied to the stake. The King grew merciless with every subject that entered his room, and his judgements became more and more careless. Mythical creatures had been banished from the city for almost 2 years now, and the penalties for even approaching one had become unnecessarily severe. 

Death

The King lay back in his throne as the castle doors shut firmly after the guards. He arched his back with little care for the noblemen's stares and whispers. The King's carefree movements opposed the serene looks of the surrounding soldiers. It was disappointing to see someone rule in this manner, Fundy thought. A nearby member cleared their throat with slight difficulty. 

"Your Majesty, may we leave the court?" They asked whilst carefully approaching the steps. They acted like sheep toward a wolf, always ready to accept the fate of death. Always careful to run in case their enemy decided to pounce, but the ruler flicked his wrist as if they were flies. 

"Leave. All of you. The day is done." 

The three harsh felt sentences sent a wave of relief across the faces of those present. They immediately dispersed, the knights and soldiers exiting last. Fundy readied himself to march in line behind the other appointed knights. There were only a few chosen worthy of standing in the presence of the King at all times. Unfortunately, Fundy was one of them. His talents were difficult to contain, and the moment a sword was thrust into his hands, he became the fighter his family had trained him to be. 

This of course, was probably why he now served as one of the most recognised knights to one of the worst rulers in history. 

***  
_Dear brothers_

_Sometimes I wish change happened faster._

_The kingdom remains in ruins, governed by an uncaring ruler who, despite his hopes of changing the world, fails to achieve the basic goals of our nation. Poverty has increased drastically in the span of two months and I fear there will be no return from the crater of helplessness he forms. The people are unhappy._

__

Fundy sighed as he dipped his quill in a void of ink. 

__

_They need their queen._ _Our hunt for her must continue. She is the only person who believes in a life with dragons and humans as equals. She is the only person who can right to wrongs of this foreign ruler._

____

_Our efforts will prevail in the end, my brothers. Stay strong._

____

Fundy eyed the short note for any errors before lifting his quill to scratch a signature. As a spy, his handwritten notes were best delivered by himself. If it were placed in the wrong hands, everything he laboured for would fail. He decided that dawn was the best time to begin his journey. A blunt excuse would be enough to get him out of- screaming stopped him midway. 

____

Fundy's hearing deepened at the sudden cry. He closed his eyes to listen again, and like the creature he was, be lifted his head to the sky. A short inhale was all that was required. 

____

"Smoke" he hissed. 

____

He stood upright to a burning village, screaming women and children rushing out of the blaze. His stained glass window hid most of the terror below. He bit the inside of his cheek, bursting the sensitive skin in his mouth. 

____

"This wasn't what I meant when I thought about it earlier, dammit." 

____

_***_

____

The smoke enveloped the village more that the fire did. The polluted air tickled his throat but didn't prompt a cough. It was a trait to being a dragon, he guessed. He arrived faster than any other knight. Disgusting, he thought. They were as uncompassionate as the King himself. Another figure however, clothed similarly to him, softened his opinions. 

____

The familiar looking squire held a cradled a baby in his bedraggled cloak. Despite the spreading panic, he was calm. He raced methodically through each home without a moment of hesitation and raced out with trained feet movements. He caught Fundy standing in the crowd and nodded sharply before turning to another helpless citizen. 

____

Fundy received the message loud and clear.  
Do what you can. 

____

He moved nimbly between each defenceless villager. He ignored the mother's pleads and the single, blackened sock along the path. He couldn't stop to help all of them. It would waste precious time.  
His priority was plain as he raced to the back of the burning houses. 

____

__

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Orange mercilessly licked the wooden rooftops. One house was dreadfully close to a forest tree. If the fire spread across its branches, the blaze would be unstoppable. Fundy allowed his claws to extend from the tips of his fingers as he formulated a plan with one objective. 

____

__

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Stall the flames 

____

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_***_

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Philza lay on the cushioned bench of his small room. Abundant layers of folded blankets and candles decorated the dull coloured room. Wooden boxes and buckets of all sorts of treasured items took up the shelves. An imaginative mind was enough to make the room more homely than its first appeared to be. A single crackling fire and sweet aromas from potted flowers reminded him of home. He sighed, a trail of icy smoke leaving his chapped lips.  
Today alone had proven how far their country had fallen. The King thought that death was the easy solution, and these wrong beliefs caused chaos to become more common than an act of kindness. 

____

__

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Philaz's eyes fluttered to a close. Maybe if he shut out the world, everything would be nothing more than a dream. He curled his arms beneath his head, allowing a well-deserved slumber to overtake his bothered mind. 

____

__

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Fundy was doing his best to hide his desire to snap the head of the King, but soon the fire in his eyes would be noticed. It was only a matter of time before they were caught and Philza was unsure if their charade could last another year.  
Their 'loyalty' to the King would soon fail.  
Philza bit his lip. Did he still appear to be a loyal servant to the King? How much hate was spread behind his back by secret resistant groups? He tried to ignore the thought. Their pretence would end the moment they found their rightful ruler, but the determination his family had started with was slowly decreasing to an irritated hunt for a corpse.  
An unwanted thought pricked the back of his mind. If they never found the Queen alive, the second plan would not be pleasant. He hoped it wouldn't come to that. 

____

____

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His room door slammed and he fell off his seat. 

____

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"Who-Wha-" A well-aquinted head, followed by a dozen sooted strangers bombarded his doorway. 

____

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"Phil," Fundy panted, "We need a temporary shelter." 

____

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_***_

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The squire had followed obediantly. He effortlessly gathered the homeless people and calmed them to a steady whisper.  
Fundy was grateful for the man's help. He spoke in a gentle tone, comforting everyone from man to child, and when they were prepared, they left for the only place they knew.  
The servant's quarters. 

____

____

____

Fundy felt it necessary to thank the man who rescued the disorientated children from the fires before his arrival. He found him in a corner with a young girl, bandaging a few of her burns before tenderly gifting her a hug.  
"Hey"  
The man turned around shyly. "Hello" 

____

____

____

Fundy scratched the back of his neck, a few unmorphed scales protruding from beyond his collar. "I'm Fundy." He tapped the hilt of his sword. "Knighted" 

____

____

____

The man responded with a thin smile. "I know." Fundy nearly slapped his own forehead. That was stupid. Of course everyone knew you, Fundy. The man's flushed skin was smeared with black, pretty green eyes sparkling amidst the darkness. He extended a swathed hand. "I'm Halo"  
Fundy shook it gingerly. It was as warm as his but not as calloused. 

____

____

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"Thank you for the help." 

____

____

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Halo waved his acknowledgement away. "No. Thank _you._ I didn't think any good men resided within this palace anymore." 

____

_____ _

____

Fundy didn't take the phrase personally. It was true. Many cowered in the face of danger, and if that wasn't the reason, they just didn't care. Knights emphasised hierarchy more than the welfare of citizens. 

____

_____ _

____

"It wouldn't be like this if Nichachu was Queen." Fundy said aloud. He clasped a hand to his mouth. That was an idea that was prohibited by the King himself. His eyes widened with the fear in his chest but Halo's smile broadened to a toothy grin. A giggle filled the silence between them. 

____

_____ _

____

"Everyone shares the same idea. You are not the only one." 

____

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____

Fundy swallowed. He guessed that was true too. 

____

_____ _

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He was about to question the saintly man further before a guard marched through the crowded room. 

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"Knight Floris. The King has requested your presence from his court." 

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_***_

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____

The clanking of armour lulled him as they wandered down the halls. The King wasn't one to stay up this late, but the chaos outside had probably disturbed him. Fundy was already formulating an apology. The idea made him sick. 

____

_____ _

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Apologizing for serving his people? 

____

_____ _

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In this era, to not consider this would make you a fool. It is ridiculous, Fundy thought, that this is what it had come to. 

____

_____ _

____

A shove opened the doors to the court that he didn't think he would see until tomorrow. It was dimly lit by single torches pinned to the walls, and the King smiled in the shadows. Fundy returned it with a tight lipped smile of his own. 

____

_____ _

____

"Your majesty," he bowed, trying to hide his balled fists. "How may I be of-" 

____

_____ _

____

Floris, Floris! What is it these fine days? Fundy?" He waddled down the staircase, his mussed hair as dark as the wine bobbing in his glass. Fundy bit back the disdain that curled his upper lip. The name Fundy was unlike his true name but it was much preferred. However, a part of him wished he had kept the nickname to himself. He wanted it to be used by his family, not tyrants. 

____

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"Whatever pleases his majesty" 

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____

The King's smile became an elated grin that wrinkled the edges of his eyes. "Indeed, yes yes of course. In that case," he reached the bottom stair with a little more elegance than with which he started. His crown however sat askew on his head and emphasised the drunk movements of his limbs. "Do you know what pleases me most, Fundy?" 

____

_____ _

____

It was an abrupt question but answerable and already thought out. Images of rum and wine glasses, armies in matching armour and fires scattered across the rooftops flashed through his head. He swallowed the bitter words that stained his tongue. The heartless King that would lay back while his people died. 

____

_____ _

____

While they suffered... 

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"No" Fundy answered as politely as possible. 

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The King tilted his head. 

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"Honesty" 

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The word made Fundy stand a little straighter. "Oh?" 

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He pictured all the days he had pretended to be loyal: participating in duels and ceremonies he never had an interest in; training under the moonlight until he bled from his own mistakes; competing to become a part of the kingdom for the sole reason of getting information and keeping a distance from every royal whilst protecting them from potential threats... 

____

_____ _

____

As far as the years had gone, he didn't remember portraying a character that would disprove his loyalty. If anything, he had proven himself more trustworthy than any other knight. There was no reason to worry, he assured himself. 

____

_____ _

____

"Yes, yes and listen here? You've assisted our people, I mean , look at you. You just stopped an entire raging fire outside. Impressive." He rested a heavy arm on Fundy's shoulder, "Fundy when I see you standing by my side, supporting me and protecting me everyday, I don't regret knighting you" 

____

_____ _

____

Slight relief washed over his clenched jaw. He opened his mouth to reply but the King interrupted again- 

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_____ _

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_"But something makes me think I should."_

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The sentence didn't sit well. 

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"I apologise but I'm afraid I don't understand, your Highness" 

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The grip on his shoulder tightened. "Your Highness" he mimicked. A laugh bubbled in as he repeated the words with a lot more sarcasm than Fundy expected. "Your Highness" Fundy's brows furrowed however they were not hidden by the helmet he usually wore. A scruffy white shirt, leggings and iron boots clothed him instead. He suddenly felt bare and wished he hadn't taken half his armour off so early. 

____

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The crowned figure leaned closer to whisper into his vulnerable ear. 

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"Who are you really?" He pressed the wineglass to Fundy's unprotected chest. "Or better yet, what are you?" the emphasised 'what' made Fundy's face fall. 

____

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Fear tugged the words down his throat. He couldn't reply. 

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The weight lifted off his shoulder but the King's breathe was still hot on his face. He reached for a hidden pocket and a letter unfolded itself between them both. 

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"Dear brothers" 

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Fundy's wind pipe closed, his thoughts speaking louder than the familiar words being read out to him. This could not be happening. How did he find the letter? Did he just barge into his room and look for it- A possibility sounded like a ticking clock in his head. 

____

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Had the King been spying on him? 

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The phrase he had written earlier sounded through the room, sinking him back into reality. 

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"They need their Queen." 

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_***_

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He somehow managed to clasp his hand over his mouth. He somehow managed to hear everything, undetected without giving away his hiding spot. 

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Philza let the tear stray down his face. How did the King find out? 

____

____

____

Fundy was stuck in his straightened posture, staring blankly at the wall ahead. He didn't move and neither did the King as he maliciously spat out secrets from Fundy's handwritten letter.  
They had been so careful.  
Why now? How? 

____

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"They need their Queen" 

____

____

____

Philza swallowed hard. Oh, Fundy. We were so close. He thought about how they had helped people in most villages by feeding them and training their children so they would be able to defend themselves. How they had kept creatures like himself protected from prying eyes but how this had been done over 2 years. Two years that they had been searching for the Queen. Two years that they had failed to find her. We were so close... yet so far 

____

____

____

"Would you care to explain or should I cut to it?" 

____

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____

The King suddenly looked sombre, the glass in his hand meaning nothing as he effortlessly kept eye contact with Fundy. The knight didn't answer. He remained quiet and seemingly lost.  
When a reply didn't come, the wine glass fell. 

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____

It shattered, thin shards of glass scattering across the floor. Wine droplets splashed on the faces of the two men; like blood shed during this battle of the mind. 

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The King never let his eyes wander away from Fundy, who barely flinched at the noise. 

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"You work for the enemy as a traitor to my people. Therefore it would please me to see you rot in the dungeons of the kingdom you wish to destroy." 

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On command, guards seized the helpless figure and tackled him to his knees before restraining him with iron cuffs. Philza's heart sank as he watched Fundy comply- defeated. There was nothing that could be done, and to defend himself would mean transforming into a dragon. They would not hesitate to kill him then if he did. The King lifted Fundy's chin, his smile meaning something different now that his most trusted knight was brought to his knees. Despite the appreciation he just articulated for Fundy, his words now dripped with hatred. Merciless hatred. 

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"Throw him in the cells. Rip him off his remaining armour and have it burn in the town's centre." 

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He inspected Fundy's face with clear disgust before flicking it aside. "He is a damned creature and everyone needs to know that one lurked among them." 

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_***_

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The midnight sky carried three plain instructions that were written, signed and sent by bird to the family he should have returned to sooner. 

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_Dear sons_

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_Our spy has been caught. Halt the search for Nichachu and gather everyone at the base._

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_Your father  
_Philza_ _

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____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing much to say here, I just hope this chapter spoke for itself :D
> 
> Also, thanks for the kudos! It's highly appreciated <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niki nearly gets caught

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to write the action so bad but IM NOT THERE YET AA. I realized I'm taking so very long with each chapter too, which can get annoying for both you and me, so IM SORRY. ACCEPT MY APOLOGIE AND THIS CHAPTER PLEASE im DYIng OVer HerE

The final threads of gold twine were laced with Techno's braids. It complimented his pinkish hair and would brighten the stars that swam in the darkness of his eyes every so often. 

The threads were one of a few belongings from the castle that Niki escaped with. A once, neat gown was now stashed with all its tears in a cupboard she dared not open again, along with a pair of slippers and jewellery. She shivered at the piece of furniture lying across the room. Its carvings and handles almost daring her to open its doors. Tempting her to let her wealthy life infect her mind until she would crave it enough to go back. But it was the memories of hatred and manipulation from the royals and knights that drew her away from them. It was the horrible ideas they shared that made her spit at the sight of her own kingdom.

These dark memories were locked in the journal currently laying on her bedroom desk. Ink blotches on her hands and desk showed that a few years in the woods could release you of any royal restraints and mannerisms. The sun cast blankets of rich warmth over her work. Niki had scrawled half a sentence on her final page before realizing that they didn't have any supplies for more paper. 

She watched the pendant of fire rocket from beyond the hills and then the man lying in his true form a foot away from her. If she left to fetch some sugarcane down by the river and returned before the sunrise ended, he might not notice.  
Niki raised herself from her position near the dead fire and unhooked her satchel. Her dagger was tucked safely in it, along with a few items she scavenged on her last fishing trip with Techno. She knew he preferred to accompany her on every outing but a stroll in solitude could help her clear her mind.

"I'll be back." she whispered, and pressed a kiss to her protector's temple.

***

His family- ghosts - danced as wisps of smoke in his dream. Perhaps it was his longing that brought forth their constant appearance.  
Technoblade patiently watches his reminiscences of his earlier days play out like a theatre performance set on rewind. A tall cloudy figure whisks itself into existence near the younger replica of himself. He holds an object with a round base by the neck to the man stood before him.

"Where did you get this?" The once spoken question of his brother echoes through his dreamscape. Younger Techno raises a poorly manifested hand to scratch the back of neck. 

"Made it. Well, not really. See there was this tree over by the woods torn down by the recent storm and redwood is a nice colour when stripped so I-" The rambling stopped as the tall figure launched himself toward the shorter one in an embrace. The sound of the hollow instrument hitting the ground ended the memory.

"Thank you" Wilbur's voice echoed when the clouds collapsed back into the earth.

Techno sat cross legged in silence. 

Why did he torture himself like this? Thinking about his family pitted his stomach with another empty feeling. Night after night when he just wanted a peaceful slumber, his dreams refused and sent him drifting off to the island where he had to watch his life replay. It was a floating island, situated above what he figured was an ocean. A single tree was the only source of shade from the scorching mid day heat or cold after the sunset. It was strange that he felt temperature even though it was a dream, but he wasn't surprised. There was always a perk to being a dragon. 

The memories were over, and all that was left was to bear was the view. Today it was the changing colours that accompanied the sunrise- a time of day he enjoyed better than the snowfall from before. 

He stretched his arms, fingers rustling the leaves above his head. 

Wilbur...Why did he see Wilbur today? It wasn't often that the boy appeared in his dreams. At least not with happiness dancing on his face. Usually he would form as a 9 year old, crying into Techno's chest after kids threatened him at school. Sometimes it was with terror in his eyes as he watched Techno beat them up for it.

Darkness dissolved into coral and yellow colours that spread across the sky like wildfire. His brother, as black winged as the night always used to depend on him, but would always take some time of the day to sit in solitude. Techno had been curious as to what he did with that time, and as if the question had been spoken to mother nature, he once found Wilbur atop a few trees at midnight. He strummed some old looking instrument. The reasoning behind his scavenger hunts in village trash suddenly made sense as he watched his brother's talent emerge through the perfectly tuned scraps of metal string. It was then that he decided to craft Wilbur a gift. A proper guitar.

The rising sun made him wonder if Wilbur was alright. If he managed being the older brother in replacement of him.

Techno sighed and straightened his back at the final seconds of his dream. It was too late to think about such things. If he was this worried sooner, he wouldn't have left them alone. Perhaps if he hadn't bumped into that necromancer that night, he wouldn't have been in this situation either.  
The ground beneath him gave in to gravity and the island began to plummet toward the sea. He let his limbs loose and waits for his back to hit the water, wishing again that it would wash away his thoughts of his family. They would only hurt him when he reached reality.

A sunrise similar to the one is dream greeted his heavy laden eyes. His stretched his limbs again. They were heavier than the ones he earned with his sleep which is partly why he hated dreaming but he somehow learned to accept it. Besides, it was probably better than death which Phil said is the heaviest weight to bear than anything. He was about to test his father's name on his tongue after years when the deathly silence caught his voice. Weird. The house would usually be bustling with life by now. Or maybe he woke up early? 

His gaze scoured the room along with his hearing which listened for any familiar signs of movement. 

"Niki?" 

The lack of response gripped his chest with a fear he hadn't felt in a while. 

"Oh, please, not now"

***

Dancing under the sky was a different feeling when you did it alone. Stretches of sunlight tore through the tree tops, making Niki want to spin forever. A flutter of blue passed her vision.

"Good morning little blue jay" It landed nearby and tilted its head to her greeting. She takes its resonate call as a response, a sound she learnt actually meant it had a family nearby. 

"You're such a beauty" she smiled before it spread it wings to launch its cerulean body toward another branch. Niki brushed aside her blonde strands of hair and craned her neck to watch it blend with the sky behind it. A longing to fly with it bloomed in her chest, but the feeling of doing it alone was saddening. Technoblade was a dragon and she was sure that if he wanted to, he could take her above the clouds. The risk of it spoke louder than her wishes - the threats of men and their poisoned arrows aiming for the skies were the only things stopping him from flying. From being free.  
There was, however, one other person she knew would gladly soar with her. She bit her lip at the pain of thinking about him.

Did Wilbur still think about her as much as she thought about him?

Did he ever wonder why she never came back to see him wrapped in a hood stolen from the servant's chambers, or a basket of goods she baked with her chefs?

Niki stumbled as her foot got caught in on a rock buried in the riverbed. She was sent tumbling, the rock slicing through her palm before she broke her fall into a muddy slope. 

"Oh my-"

Her teeth clamped her tongue, choking a hiss and filthy words that dare exit her mouth. Something beyond the quiet river continued rustling the leaves of bushes, even after she had stopped walking. Niki squints as a pair of hands come into view and her stomach lurches.  
Not something. Someone.  
She gathers her skirts in her bloody palms and manages to slip behind a tree just as the person fully emerged from their spot. Absolute fear grips her throat the same way she grips the hilt of her dagger. Shallow breathing quietens the ragged words meant for her mind:

"I don't want to kill, please. Not now."

***

"It is going to get hot and this search is going to be a lot grumpier than yesterday's" 

"Tommy, please shut up"

His blue eyes disappear behind his head. "I'm just saying, this is all pointless. For all we know, she could be captured."

"Tommy"

"Or worse. Dea-" Tommy's mouth is muffled by his friend's hand. He shifts to protest but watches instead as his friend raises his head from the map to the trees ahead. 

"Tommy, quiet"

He lifts his hands to surrender and Tubbo releases him. "What is it?" he whispers, his posture becoming slouched. Light reflected off his blue gaze as they scour unfamiliar terrain. He hadn't cared to watch where they were going until his friend raised a warning tone of voice. Tommy, now aware they they were probably far from camp, tightened his grip on his sword. It was shoddy craftmanship but considering he did it himself, it was acceptable. 

"Where are we?" 

Tubbo's eyes drifted across the trees, gently eyeing the forest floor littered in bark chips and leaves. He presses a hand to a nearby tree and lowers his gaze. The movements are familiar and Tommy readies himself to protect his satyr friend. Tubbo's horns were prominent, peaking above his mess of golden brown hair, but unlike most satyrs, he had basic human feet. These were due to his mother, who had once lived as a nymph- overflowing her son with joy and laughter before she vanished like the thousands of other creatures taken by the King. Tubbo inherited her brown eyes, pits of rich earth lightened with an untouchable blue one could only dream of. The little ritual he performed now was also thanks to his mother, something Tommy could only describe as one thing: talking to trees. 

Rather than repeating his previous questions, he let Tubbo do his thing and waited patiently- something he found difficult to do in the moment. Classes were in an hour after all. He had reason to feel agitated. As if he read his mind, Tubbo nudges Tommy with his elbow. 

"There's a river. Stream maybe." 

"Anything else-"

Tubbo slips an arrow from his quiver and lets an arrow fly. It nicks the edge of Tommy's ear before a screech fills the silence. Tommy jumps back, hands reaching out for his unharmed ear. 

"WHAT THE-"

"Nothing else, no" 

"Did you- did you see that- DID THE TREES TELL YOU THAT?" 

"No, I saw it. Something you should have done before I did."

Tommy opened his mouth to protest but Tubbo returned his unspoken words with a hard look. He grumbles a few dirty words before proceeding to follow again in silence. Maybe if he didn't say anything, the minutes would go by faster and they'd be able to leave sooner. Tubbo holds put his hand. This time they aren't met with a hungry looking spider, but rather a peaceful river. The riverbed is flocked with sugarcane. Vines crawl along the edges of the trees, contrasting with the fresh blue of the waters.

"This is new" Tommy blurts, finding no need to remain silent. 

"It is." Tubbo scans the map and then the area they're surrounded by. "It's definitely new but not forbidden." He rolls up the yellowish paper and tucks it away in his satchel. A figure dances at the corner of his vision as he does so. He turns to Tommy, who is stood cross armed, indulging in his new surroundings, and then back to the trees on the opposite side of the river. Strange. He swore he saw someone move-

And almost as if mother nature heard him doubt if he was crazy, a hand flicks off the side off a tree, holding a bundle of fabric which he could vaguely make out to be a skirt.

Tubbo gasps. He reaches out for Tommy who already sounds concerned.

"Uh, Tubbo"

"Tommy I-"

"Tubbo look." 

"I know-" Sweaty fingers latch onto his chin and pull his face to another direction. Tubbo frowns as Tommy points to something else in the distance.

"Bluejay" he whispers. 

"Yes Tommy but I really think-"

"But it's not a Bluejay." Tubbo's mouth drops in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" 

The boy crouches and signals Tubbo to do so too. "Watch."

Although the voice in Tubbo's head begs him to check if the figure hidden across the river was who he thought it was, he obeys Tommy. It wasn't often the boy quietened himself to watch a bird of all things. He squints at the thing in the distance, blue feathers bouncing off the morning light. It's presence wasn't out of the ordinary. Just a single bird, probably wandering around for food. But as Tubbo searched for other excuses to call it normal, it changed. Its wings blackened and its beak lengthened to something less pleasing. It was morphing into a different kind of bird altogether, he thought, as it flew with the breeze toward them.  
The boys' heads moved in unison, watching as it dashed across the river and fluttered to a stop before them. Not as the Bluejay it was 5 seconds ago, but as a raven.

"A raven with a message?" Tommy voiced softly, trying not to scare it away. The bird, clearly fearless, hopped toward them and untangled something strapped to its foot. 

Tommy lashed out for it before Tubbo could, making the bird jump back. It cawed in what sounded like annoyance.

"Geez, weird bird. Chill out-" Tommy's eyes scanned the note in his hand. It was small enough to be held between two fingers but the message seemed larger than that. This time it was Tubbo's turn to ask the questions.

"Tommy? What is it?" 

The boy gulped. Loudly, Tubbo noted, before he handed over the message, eyes staring blankly ahead.

Tubbo hesitantly unfurls it, afraid of what it might say, and rightfully so. His eyes dart over the words and the ones he pick our are enough to make him race back home.

"Spy"  
"caught"  
"base"

***

The transformation of the bluejay was astounding, entrancing Niki until she pressed her hand into the earth and nearly cried at the pain of her forgotten cut. The children she assumed were men, vanished without another word, leaving her to wonder breathlessly if they were truly gone. After sitting with her dagger in a hard grip for far too long, she decided to peel herself away from her hiding spot. It was at the exact moment that she uncrouched a hand covered her mouth.

She remembered the dagger in her hand but as her eyes shifted to it, her wrist was twisted far enough to force her to release it. _This was it,_ she thought. Flashbacks of palace guards dragging her out in the dead of night rigged her mind. _She had been careless._ The taste of her own blood would burst on her tongue as they stuffed cloth into her mouth. _Who was she kidding?_ It only took one wrong move for her to be carried out the next day. They would beat her sometimes. Whip her, leaving scars across her back. _She wasn't some mythical creature gifted with abilities to hear her enemies._

_____ _

___And now she was caught. ____ _

____The voice she last heard at the castle, rang in her ears.  
_It only takes one wrong move now and you will be taken back. Do you really want that? _____ _ _

_______Don't hurt me, she tried to plead. Please don't-_ _ _ _ _ _ _

______The person spun her around as her knees buckled. The weight of the memories were too much to bear. Not now, not ever. Niki collapsed, waiting for the consequences of her foolish actions but was instead greeted with arms around her waist, gently guiding her tearful face to their chest._ _ _ _ _ _

______"You're okay" Technoblade hushed. "You're safe"_ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here me out, okay? This was supposed to be A. LOT. LONGER but I got too caught up with laying the base for this chapter that it ended being LONG AND IT DIDN'T EVEN BEGIN HOW I PICTURED-  
> so yes, that explains why there will be a part two. Man, why do writers do this to themselves aa
> 
> p.s, tank you for the kudos omg you guys are wonderful ily, take my love <3 you deserve it


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Technoblade has as many secrets as the King and Niki can't help but keep hers inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure I mentioned this before but I respect each person's boundaries in this au. Technoblade is NOT SHIPPED WITH NIKI in this story because both of them are uncomfortable with it. In this, they're friends that met when both of them were at their worst. I just personally feel like their dynamic would make them excellent partners in crime. If any lines are crossed in this au I will fix it to the best of my ability or remove it completely as I don't want anyone feeling uncomfortable.  
> Enjoy this chapter :)

Techno took two minutes to search the house and every nook and cranny of the surrounding caves. Two minutes were enough to allow his fear to grow, causing him to scream into the woods once before realizing that she was gone.  
_Taken?_

He wandered outside once more before finding a pair of footprints in the dirt. They were small.

_Niki's?_

They had to be. So he followed them until he heard a rustling and had to duck behind a tree. He peeked over to find a river and children on the opposite end of it. He panicked when he saw Niki crouched in a corner, wounded and in view of the people on the other side.  
And now he was holding her small figure, shaky and distant in some other world that clearly haunted her. He smoothed her hair back but it didn't excuse how harshly he had covered her mouth to prevent a scream. It didn't condone the twisting of her wrist to release the dagger she could easily stab him with. He was the one that taught her to use it after all, and he couldn't deny that she mimicked his moves perfectly. Returning home with a wound was not on today's agenda.

She whimpered under his touch but when he spoke, she stopped shaking and collapsed. He picked up her limp body and watched her face rest from sadness as she drifted off into a slumber. A nightmare, maybe. Heavy drops of blood dripped from her hand dangling off the side. Some kind of hatred boiled within Techno for the person that dared hurt her. Those children that were messing around with that bird didn't look like they had the capacity to even touch her but the image of the one kid drawing an arrow still flickered in his mind.  
They were at the house in no time. Techno set her down on her bed before sitting to clean her the blood on her hand. After a single swipe of the cloth he realized the slice on her hand may have been because she slipped. He scanned her muddy skirts. 

_Possible_ he huffed

But why would she leave without telling him? There weren't any notes left for him or items supposing that she left temporarily. A creaking startled him. He turned to find Niki's eyelids flutter at the change in lighting. 

"Technoblade?" 

He brought his chair forward at his shakily spoken name.

"I'm here Niki"

Her movements were small but not painful to her in any way, indicating her hand was probably the only thing she hurt. He would have reached out to her but the earlier gesture of covering her mouth triggered something. He rubbed the creases in his palm. _Give her space_ As if realizing where she was, she gripped her bandaged hand in panic, head swivelling with tears glistening in her eyes. Technoblade could almost hear the sob caught in her throat as she spoke.

"I'm sorry Techno. That was wrong of me." Technoblade frowned. _you have no reason to be sorry_

"I just needed some air after last night and I thought going out for sugarcane to make paper would-"

"Niki-"

"-be quick and then I could refill my journal but I wasn't thinking straight. You protected me for this long and I nearly let all of that go down the drain-"

"Niki." he repeated louder. He nearly slapped himself when he saw her flinch. He pressed his lip firmly beneath his teeth but it wasn't enough to show that he didn't mean to speak that loudly.  
_To jumpscare you behind that tree or snap the dagger from your grip._ Her lip quivered and the silence broke her. She fell to shambles before him, unable to contain what was hurting her.  
The instincts that once kicked in when Wilbur was in danger, kicked in now as he rushed forward to comfort her. 

"You didn't do anything wrong" he whispered as she gripped his shirt like it was her last lifeline

'That's- that's the thing. Ever-ything is because of me. All this." she made a feeble attempt to gesture to the room surrounding her. "Your freedom taken bec-because of my parents. Your friends. Fa-family maybe. Because I- I left."

It clicked too quickly that she wasn't talking about herself anymore but the creatures. The ones like him. _me_

Techno held her tight enough to know that she didn't need to say anymore. Mother of nature, when will she realize she was better than those folk populating her kingdom? There was no need for her to take the blame for all of the haters and liars. Her parents were bad omens, destined to plant rotten seeds in the hearts of their people but as quickly as they polluted innocent minds, Niki could revive their broken souls. She didn't see her potential and it almost frustrated Techno to his last whim. _Almost_

"In the eyes of those royal nerds you used to live with," Niki raised her head at his quiet voice, "the only thing you did wrong was love everyone equally. Including us." 

He gently lifted her away from his chest, securing his hands on her shoulders so that he could look straight at her. She was still covered in grime- hair battered across her sweaty face but her barely visible smile was all he was looking for. 

"Don't depress yourself because you weren't good enough for them. You're good enough for us. More than enough."

He clenched his jaw, contemplating whether his next move would be worth it. Her eyes brightened at his words and he knew that if what he did would make her happy, it probably was. 

"Here" he moved aside the collar of his shirt to lift a chain hidden beneath it. It pained him to see it again, brass coloured and glowing despite the lack of light in the room, but in some circumstances it was comforting. It was the thing that made his suffering more bearable. Perhaps it would help Niki the same way. 

"A necklace?" she hiccupped. He smiled at the guess.

"A chain." he lifted it out to her and she nodded, allowing him to lock it around her neck. It was a looser fit on her but still a wonderful contrast with her porcelain skin.

"We call them heartstrings. If you concentrate enough you can feel a pulse vibrating off it." She tilted her head, suddenly intrigued by its abilities and placed her hand across the chain. Her lips tightened into a broad smile as she felt its drumming beneath her fingers. Technoblade raised his hand to his own chest. He didn't realize how much he needed a second heartbeat until he didn't have it.

"Why does it pulse?" 

His lips recited the words like it was second nature. "Heartstrings are taken from the hair of a child at a young age, when their heartbeats are young. It beats in time with its owner's heart and when they die,"

Her smile faltered. The unspoken words hung loosely in the air, the truth of it heavier than the chain itself. _The heartstring dies with its owner_ He had learnt this the worst way possible. Before Wilbur's heartstring, he used to carry his mother's. The pulse emitting from her golden strand of hair gave him the motivation he needed to train harder then anyone else in his class until the day he was mid battle and the rhythm from his wrist stopped. He didn't run home that fast in his life. He didn't cry that much in years. When he raced out his burning home, cradling his blonde screaming brother, he knew by the tears in his father's eyes that their mother was taken. Kidnapped by some royal head that thought killing his family would eliminate their threats. The pit of his stomach bubbled with a familiar rage.

"Is this your heartstring?"

Technoblade inhales sharply. He blinks at the wooden framework of their house, untouched. Unburned.  
A fake laugh breaks his ordeal.  
"Oh. No no. That's my brother's" Niki's gaze darkened as his did a second ago and he knew why. He never spoke about his family. Never once mentioned their existence but now that he did, the secret he told came with a responsibility.

He tapped her knee, finalizing any other form of physical contact. "Take care of my brother, okay?"

"Hey Techno, what was his na-" she tried but he had already exited the room. A heavy rhythm pounded in his ears, sending waves of water to flood his vision. _Don't go out without me_ he wanted to say. _Don't leave me thinking you were taken or dead. I can't lose you._  
Words he promised himself to never let free were roaming his mind, infecting the responsibilities he set for himself. He stopped in his tracks, realizing the true backdrop behind all of this.

_I can't do this anymore_ With a strangled breathe, he unleashed himself to the woods, secretly hoping someone that cared would here him. 

_I didn't ask to be here, caught in the act of saving the princess from a prophecy of a random necromancer. I didn't want to change this princesses' mind about people like me. Even if I did, she still hasn't changed her view. I didn't want to- I don't want to_

He tore his hands through his hair. 

No. Just protect Niki. Don't let her get hurt. It's all I need to do and she will change her mind. She'll go back and save us-

 _I don't want to be in the wilderness anymore._ he opened his mouth to scream but the truth choked him instead. _I want to be free. I want to go home- _he stopped breathing, waiting for a second heartbeat to pound as heavily as his but it wasn't there. It was elsewhere, beating with the queen's heart now. _I gave up my family for her_ He looked up to the sky, his eyes heavy with tears, daring to flow and break him. Maybe it was time to break. It's okay to fall to pieces sometimes, right?__

_I WANT MY FAMILY_

The longing burned deeper than any sword he felt go through his body. It seered him. 

_It burns_ he begged. 

_Please. Let me out._

_"Techno?"_

The name was spoken softly, like sand being swept across a desert by a cryptic, unfelt breeze- cooling his boiling rage. The name- his name spoken so sweetly, a treat lightly dusted with sugar- an original word articulated to sound delectably innocent. He whirled around in the dirt but the voice wasn't Niki's. His own rapid pulse drummed in his chest as he tried to locate the person. 

"Wilbur?"

_It's not him._

I know it isn't but I wish it were.

The voice sliced through the war in his head, disregarding any previous thoughts or signs of secret hatred for the maiden in his house. "Techno, you have to try. You realize she's our last hope." The reality of it left a wound in his chest. 

_Forget hope._ he growled, _I can just tear down their government and we'll all be happy again._

"That's not how it works. You have to follow the prophecy." He wanted to scoff. His mother believed in prophecies and now she's dead.

_SCREW THE PROPHIES TOO. I'LL SAVE US ALL JUST LET ME_

All this responsibility. Auguries. Fairytales. Everything he never wanted and now this wizard ordering him around? Controlling his life? Appearing every so often to remind him that his fate lied in the hands of some book written by ancients, with no sense of who would fulfil their prophecies? 

"You were chosen. You have to do it or your family dies." The voice sounded undeterred, undisturbed by the cruelty of the possibility or Techno's hoarse shouting. Technoblade wanted to strip the magic that abused Wilbur's voice for the purpose of making him bend to their will. It hurt him more than it manipulated him. 

_Tell that to my face and I'll decide whether I was chosen or not_ Techno spat, _If you want to fulfil some manuscript, you should do it yourself._

The wizard sighed- the exhale echoing the same way his words did. His use of the voice changer dissipated as he realized it wasn't having much affect. It was swiftly replaced by his true medium, one that sounded too challenging for Techno's liking. "You need to keep her safe. The King can find you at any time. I've told you who we're up against-" 

Technoblade slammed his fist into the ground, and the voice vanished in a wisp. _enough_ He huffs, the sweat lining his upper lip evaporating as he leaves the conversation. Every interaction he had with this guy started with a reminder in his head and ended with what felt like a slap in the face. He was surprised there wasn't a red mark left on his cheek because when their brief meeting was over, the words they left behind always implied violence. Each statement from his opponent felt like they had thrown a punch or crushed a rib. It left him breathless. The woods he scrambled into come into view again, colours and tears still interfering with his vision. He clenches his jaw, prepared to speak to the cowardly fool through gritted teeth. 

"Take it from me, old friend. After years of this, I think it's time to do things my way."

***

_The previous night..._

He couldn't see it but he knew. The sun would be setting, depriving his citizens of a much needed light. Tonight, however was far different than most. Fires spread, licking at every rooftop of his people. Most would be sleeping tonight, but not all. Not even the knight that tried to save them. The room fell to silence once again but as the King, he knew this was too good to be true. Peace never looked good as the face of this country and he would make sure it never did. A voice cleared its throat from the back of the room, almost making him jump.

"Was that necessary?" it asked

The King held back a smile, recognizing immediately the voice of his most loyal knight.

"I do what must be done, or what others care not to do, Sapnap."

The knight didn't miss a beat. "Does that including starting village fires?" It was almost spoken sarcastically yet still stained with a bitterness he mimicked from the King. The man learns quickly, the King thought. Ignoring the insult, he clambered the stairs to his throne.

"I don't have to answer to you."

"Sure, Schlatt." Sapnap partially spat the name knowing he was the only one who could use it without being burnt to death. He had far more privileges than most and although it would generally disturb other people, no one cared. Typical kingdom behaviour. He shifted his position so that the torch brightened the symbol carved on his chest plate- roses entwined around a pair of horns. The emblem confused him. If the King hated mythical creatures so much, why have horns representing your kingdom? His only guess was that Schlatt couldn't care less about what his people wore or represented, except what they did. Sapnap scratched his jaw, mind still questioning the King's earlier choice of words.

"Answer me this then. Why did you call Floris a 'damned creature'?"

At this, his ruler lolls his head to the side, a glint of his similarly black eyes causing Sapnap's own gaze to flicker around the room. That was the look of a man that knew something others didn't. Sapnap's eyes trace the brick work of the area from one side to the other. A backdoor was left slightly ajar but beside it, nothing in the courtroom was out of order. The seated figure props his chin on his palm. Spots of blood decorate his wrists from where the wine glass pierced his skin. He makes a small gesture- a slight arch of his eyebrow- and the doors to the hall are thrown open, breaking the silence.

"YOUR MAJESTY" A ragged man is flung to the centre of the room, sounds of choas from the spreading fires behind him following with. Guards rush after him in an attempt to restrain the intruder.

"Your Majesty, please just a moment of your time."

Sapnap watches the act unfold before him. Schlatt wasn't taken aback by any of this, and as he flicks his spare wrist to let the guards step back, he senses boredom emitting from the King's presence and tone of voice.

"Speak"

"Your Majesty, forgive me for intruding at such a late-"

"SPEAK" His voice rises in frustration and the man shakes even more in his scorched clothing. He looked like he escaped the chaos outside, soot dusting his hair and his clothes sporting burnt edges. Guilt for not assisting the people outside panged his chest but not his heart. In truth, he couldn't care less.

"A dragon, Your Highness."

Sapnap's gaze snaps forward as his eyes widen.

"He was a knight. Morphed into a beast behind the houses and sucked the fires off it. He saved-"

"ENOUGH"

The man jumps, clasps whatever is left of his tunic and bows his head. His story was clearly not over as his lips continue to utter the rest of the story.

"Lead this man out. Give him a room somewhere and spare clothing. Just-" he wiggles his fingers to the door, "leave"

The guards fulfil his wishes and lead the muttering hag out. Sapnap hears a few thank-yous before the doors close again. Wow, he thinks. What kind of knight was able to hide a secret that big for that long? And how did Schlatt know? The King rises and pointlessly fixes his creased collar. 

"Whether it's a dragon saving a fire or a dragon starting one, they're still damned creatures. And it's especially worse when the dragon is a knight that you trusted." The pieces gradually start to fit together in his head.

He paces toward Sapnap. Sapnap's stomach churns with uneasiness but his expression is masked with a loyalty he dedicated for this kingdom's rulers years ago. He grew up with a King and Queen who delighted in the killing of beasts. He watched when they were assassinated and the princess took their place. He was knighted when she ran away from her responsibilities and the standards she could never reach. The princess was the weak link that destroyed the line of powerful rulers. Rulers who wanted the best for their people, unlike Niki who ran away in search for the best for herself.

The previous rulers' reign ended tragically but the beginning of the current King's rule had yet to waver. Sapnap's knuckles turn white.  
He won't fail his King like he failed the others and although Schlatt was once exiled by his parents, this nation will have its ruler for years to come.

Unlike Floris, he trusts the King and his motives. Unlike Fundy he is willing to do anything asked of him, despite having a few unanswered questions.

The King unfurls a paper from the pocket of his pants. He guessed it would be the note he read aloud to Fundy, but to his surprise, it's even better.

"The problem with this kingdom is it's too dependant on their 'rightful ruler'. Their Queen." Sapnap nods, agreeing full heartedly. What kind of sick people would want a coward for a queen? He passes the paper to Sapnap.

"As the new head knight, I want you to find her. There's a single mark on the map, directing you to her current location."

Sapnap takes the map and illuminates the red dot of the map with his light source. Of course the King knew where she was, he laughed internally. Clumps of trees and village homes start the map and fade into large forestry. A river wriggles in and out of the green blotches and pass the marked area which he assumes is Nichachu's home. A new responsibility blooms in his chest.

"Fundy's letter proved that everyone wants her back so find her. If the people want her back, we'll show them how unfit she is for the position"

Sapnap nods slowly. Finally. The adventure he has been waiting for. With his months of training and years of remaining in second position behind Fundy, this should be a singe. He heads for the exit, feet and mind determined to leave as soon as possible.

"Oh and Sapnap." He could almost hear the grin influencing the words on his tongue.

"I want her back alive but if she doesn't comply-"

Sapnap's smile equally widens at the incomplete utterance.

"Gladly, Your Majesty."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jschlatt is the King? :0 Technoblade and secret, unnamed necromancer?  
> Never would have guessed. hehe  
> Hope you guys enjoyed this one. I had fun with it, especially since the title of the story is now partially explained ;) Have a great day everyone and thanks for the support!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Philza's family realize their situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a reason Wilbur has wings and until we found out why...*shrugs*

Tubbo breaks into a sprint. Not because his life depends on it, but because Fundy's does. Fundy, his friend was captured and he wasn't there to stop it.

_This is my fault ___

But Tommy would argue otherwise. He would tell him that he links everyone's problems to himself, even when he was barely involved. Tubbo would argue back. When they were seated in Phil's living room, arguing over their plans to kill the King, they assigned each other tasks. Tubbo was huddled in a corner with Tommy, trying to get rid of the winter cold biting their limbs. His eyes were heavy with sleep, and he knew he should have been listening but he wasn't because their plans were useless to him. Sure, they had their own motivation for wanting to behead the King but the worst he had done to him was kill his sister. Murdered her in cold blood. He shivered, not from the cold but the horrific images in his head. But it was done. That was something he could have stopped if he wasn't so little at the time but he was at peace with it. He couldn't change the past, and neither could Tommy's family. 

Their heads swivelled in his direction and he didn't notice until Tommy nudged him. Phil was staring at Technoblade, shaking his head.

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"You can't send Tubbo! What would his parents think?" Phil cried, bewildered.

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"His parents are probably making the same plans as us," Technoblade was brusque with his words, as if he idea was the only solution and no one should argue it, "We should make use of his skills."

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"By sending the boy head on into the field? They've had minimal training-"

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"Maybe we should let Tubbo speak" Tommy cut in. "I still think it's a bad idea but let him decide." Tommy faced him with equally dull blue eyes. They were both tired but Tommy was listening more than him, and for once giving him a chance.

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A chance for what though? "I'm sorry." his voice barbed with laziness, "what is it you want me to do?"

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"We want you to be a spy."

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That woke him up. He straightened himself against the wall. "A spy? As what, a servant?"

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"No that's Phil. They were thinking more along the lines of a knight." Tubbo nearly choked on his own spit. A knight? For the King, their enemy? Okay, so maybe he didn't abhor the King but did spare some hate for him. And although he wasn't as bloodthirsty as Technoblade, he wasn't going to work for him.

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Phil flung his arm in his direction. "See. He won't do it, and he shouldn't have to."

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"Yes, but I've trained them Phil and Tubbo can-" Tubbo lowered his gaze, silence filling his head. As much as he had a blood family, this was his family too. These were the people he would protect with his life, so why was it hard to say yes. He locked eyes with the dark ginger across the room. Fear, that's why. He was scared of leaving Tommy and having to take another soul. To hold a sword and plunge it into royalty's heart. To come back a hero or a failure.  
And Fundy read all of this. The man saw this fear from the other side of the room, and it was this that drove him to volunteer. It was Tubbo's fear that led Fundy to leaving with Phil that day.

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Tubbo's selfishness was the reason Fundy was in prison right now. He wouldn't let him die. Not now, not ever.

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His legs were numb as he climbed up the slope that led to Tommy's home. His fingers gripped the message as he slammed his horns into the door.

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"Wilbur!"

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The man spun around in a flurry of feathers. "Tubbo? You're supposed to be at school-Tommy! What did I say?"

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The boy appeared behind Tubbo, his panting heavier. Tommy poked Tubbo weakly. "Message" he breathed, tongue dry from running.

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"Boys, you're going to be late-"

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"MESSAGE." Tubbo choked, and slammed the paper on the nearest table. "Message from Phil" his knees buckled, tired. Tommy was already on the floor.

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Wilbur frowned. "But we don't get updates for another month." he stated softly.

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"Maybe you should read it" Tommy scowled. "Tubbo, did you have to run?"

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"It was an emergency" he panted back. He turned back to Wilbur. "So?"

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The brunet stood rigid, the message unmoving in his palm. "So you should go to school" Well, that wasn't the answer they were hoping for.

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"WHAT?" Tommy shot up. "Phil said to meet at the base. Here, home" he patted the wooden floorboards.

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"But he didn't say when."

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"Exactly, it could be at any time-"

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It was as if Tommy held a flame to the wick of Wilbur's candle because his voice was suddenly ablaze. "Phil never said WHEN and he didn't say NOW, so as far as I see it you will go to school." he jammed a finger to the exit, "Now"

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They stared incredulously at the older man. Although the sunlight clearly illuminated the taut skin of his face, his eyes were dark with something Tubbo couldn't pin. Clearly, this was something to be worried about. Tommy didn't notice it and grabbed Tubbo's wrist instead. "Fine" he shouted at an equal volume to Wilbur's. "But if Dad gets home before we do, it's your fault." Tubbo was sure to grab the knob before Tommy did and close the door gently. The blonde didn't think twice about stomping down the hill, trails of smoke leaving his nostrils. Tubbo ignored it and lingered behind instead.

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Leaving on a bad note did not go well with bad news, and if he read Wilbur's expression correctly, this was bad news. Especially for him.

_***_

Cold fingers glided under his forearm. It felt like steel wires-the tips pressing carelessly into his milky flesh. The hand cupped his elbow.

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**_Follow_ **

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The voice belonged to the figure clad in black. It bobbed its head, beckoning him forward through the crowds of people. Retaliation pricked his stomach, but the person gripped his wrist. 

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**_Follow._ **

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A melody hummed in the background and the tapping of his boots were the loudest of the notes. The silhouettes of strangers were close to him but their conversations were faint. There was just the steady rhythm of his shoes against concrete. The stranger holding his wrist was silent. It parted through the crowds, the people vanishing in wisps of red and black. 

__"Where are you taking me?" he heard himself say._ His voice seemed to bounce off the barely visible walls. _

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Its head moved in disapprobation. Wilbur opened his mouth to ask what was disappointing but his foot caught on a crack in the floor. He tripped, the stranger's grip tightening until it was borderline painful. It turned slowly, the hollowness of its face forcing him to shut his lips. 

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The question lay in Wilbur's eyes. _What do you want from me?_

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**_Join me_ **

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Wilbur's head swivelled to the surrounding ghosts. 

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__Why? Where?_ _

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**_You have a gift. You should use it._ **

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The voice was loud in his head. It threatened to somehow make his ears bleed but at the same time, it was soothing. It's tone was soft and convincing, as beckoning as the its head movements. 

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Wilbur naturally cranes his neck to view his wings. They almost blended into the darkness and were illuminated by a faint red light. 

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_Do you refer to my curse?_

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**_It's what you make it out to be. It could be a blessing if you wanted._ **

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Wilbur scoffed. _I've heard that before._

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**_And yet you still don't believe it, so why not make use of this thing you call a curse?_ **

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Wilbur squinted at his gripped wrist and then the stranger. _Do you know something about it?_

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**_Your curse?_ **

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_My wings._

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It stood rigid-unreplying.

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"What do you know?" No one had ever known about his abnormality. No one could ever cure it but he saw the way this person stood. He saw the way it tensed. It knew something. It could get it off. Get it off. _get it off get IT OFF GET IT OFF_

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**_Not here._ **

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"What do you KNOW?" he was yanked upwards and it's icy fingers pressed itself to his mouth. They felt like needles on his lips.

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**_Not here._ **

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It held Wilbur's arms down and dragged him backwards against its chest. It felt like he was leaning back into a void rather than flesh. He wanted to thrash and tackle the stranger until it told him what he wanted, but its hold paralysed him. His body didn't even want to budge. The crowds were parting again, his shoulders brushing against the ghosts of others until the dragging stopped. His boot heels clanked against metal ridges in the ground and then it became smooth. Whatever it was they were entering had an unrecognizable structure and was made of frames of metal. Glass doors slid shut in his face and the hand released him.

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**_Speak_ **

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Wilbur spun to find rows of metal poles and benches alongside the long structure.

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_What is this?_

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He could sense the smile crawl on its face.

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**_A future._** Wilbur raised an eyebrow. **_One that you can spend alone if you wish._**

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The word 'alone' rang in his ears. Loneliness was the only thing he knew, and frankly he was sick of it. _Loneliness is my last aim in life._

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**_Yet you still pursue it._ **

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___He never asked for loneliness. It was a result of the excrescence that agonized his back. He didn't want it and yet here he was, born with it. _It's none of your business now is it?__ _ _

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Wilbur ran his eyes across the figure as it impersonally hid its hands behind its back. Its prescence was haunting and waiting. Waiting patiently. 

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_What do you want?_

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It sighed.

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**_I want the best for you._ **

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_Yeah,_ he reluctantly scanned the monochromatic walls of the area. It was tempting to accept the open arms of a person who had his cares as first priority, but looking at the figure before him made him hesitate. _Not interested._

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Burning threads permeated his veins and a warm rush swept across his limbs. Something hooked his heartbeat and an anchor tugged it until it sunk into a pit- the pulse beating in his stomach. The voice grew louder, its' tone still steady but the atmosphere thicker. 

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**_You don't seem interested in anyone. Not even yourself._ **

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_I have other problems._ He swallowed, trying to sound undeterred. Smoke swept from beneath the glass door, enveloping his legs. 

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**_Problems like Fundy? The boy you say you keep safe?_ **

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His lungs deflated. _How do you know?_ It ignored him.

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**_Problems like Tommy who you continuously make angry._ **

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Wilbur grew frustrated by its assumptions. A stranger was making remarks about his life as if it knew half of what he suffered. He knew he did things terribly but that didn't mean anyone had to point it out. He could fix it given the time. 

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**_You anger him. You abandon them. You destroy your relationships with your family._ **

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Purple eyes pierce the blackness in the hood.

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_"No. I don't."_

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The voice scoffed. **_You think you say hurtful things to teach the boy? You think sending Fundy was a great idea now that you've heard the outcome? Your decisions weren't because you cared. Your agreements weren't because it was the best. You're selfish_**

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_"No I'm not"_

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**_You are._ **

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Wilbur pressed his hands to his ears.

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**_You are. You alone. You you you._ **

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Hunks of metal grating across concrete floors filled his ears. A million voices blamed him, echoing his name. 

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"Go away" He heard its' smile.

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**_Never_ **

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_"I SAID GO AWAY"_

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His fist collided with glass and the pain woke him up. Shards penetrated his flesh, revealing its vulnerabilities. He twisted his shaking hand to view the dripping blood. It stung but he was grateful. Grateful for the distraction from the darkness. 

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Wilbur shivered before turning to find bandages. There were usually a few in his emergency crate for situations like these. Situations where he had to scar himself to get out of the void. To get out from the prison of his mind. 

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He found the white fabrics rolled up in a corner and began picking the glass from his hand before lacing his fingers in the material. This was happening too often. Every time he panicked he fell into a sliver of time that he was chained to until he took brutal measure to get out. The figure that held him prisoner almost enjoyed it. It had a tilt to its purple eyes that made it seem like it wanted him to bleed. Like it longed for him to cross the line and scar his flesh for a mere ghost. 

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Will finalized the bandage around his wrist with a knot he tightened with his teeth. That's all it was though. A ghost. But if it was just a wisp of smoke why did it keep coming back to remind him of what a failure he was? 

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The voice echoed in his head. "I want the best for you" He sunk against the cupboards of the kitchen. 

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_"Join me"_

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_"You have a gift"_

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_"It could be a blessing if you wanted it to be"_

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He unconsciously tugged his feathers forward, the muscles of his back straining at how far he was pulling. His body said no but the desire was greater. These wings were a burden. His gut feeling knew that everything he felt was because of it. He wanted to rip them to shreds, even if it meant bleeding to death because he hated it. Hate could not even begin to describe all the nights he filed his teeth against each other because of how inconvenient they were. He deliberately plucked feathers off sometimes but that would only make it drip black ink. He learnt that a full moon would trigger the fire in them and they would glow in colours of steel but no matter how beautiful they were he wanted them gone. Gone be because no on else had them. Gone because no one knew what they were and he hadn't met anyone like him. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone.

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The hilt of a knife was in his palm, the sharp iron edges tempting. _Plunge it. Pierce it though the centre of your back and slice your wings away. Your problems will leave with it._ His vision blackened but this time he didn't fall into the void. He was the void-the darkness blossoming from within his chest.

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_"You could never keep Fundy safe"_

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What if he led the knife to the left

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_"Tommy could be next"_

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If he plunged it a little deeper...it could reach his heart

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_"You wouldn't save them if you tried"_ There was nothing to live for anyways. No one was here. No one cared.

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The knife slid from his grip, an icicle replacing it instead. Cold fingers pressed into his neck and he sighed at the feeling. He didn't realize how sweaty he was until now. The heat dissipated from his body like steam. Wilbur's half lidded eyes met the wide eyed ones of his father. His _father_ Philza stared with those deep blue eyes that were constantly bathed in fear and worry. He was here, he was holding him- _DAD_

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"Dad"

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He leant forward into Philza's chest. It felt like he was pressing his face into snow and the familiarity sent a tears down his face. A low, relieved sigh escaped him.

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"Why do you do this to yourself mate?"

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"Oh, Phil" he laughed. Wilbur's voice was muffled against the fabrics of his father. "If only you knew-you've missed so much" The light heartedness that he felt this morning returned to him.

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"You came home." With those words that were now so true and _real_ he almost forgot about the burn from the iron blade on his chest. Almost. "Tommy's gonna kill me" 

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Tubbo didn't need to calm Tommy down because as they reached the second clearing, reality kicked them both in the stomach. They were late for class. 

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"Not again" he murmured. They fell into a crouch behind the bushes of the crowd. Tommy raised two fingers and hinted toward the left. They would need to crawl to get to behind the tallest children at the back. As always, Tubbo went first. He had a knack for blending in with his surroundings and it wasn't that his skin could camouflage but it was almost as if he disappeared. It was a strange occurrence that Tommy didn't want to think twice about. The boy reached his destination and straightened himself, his dark hair barely visible between the others. Tommy grinned. It was as if he were never there. Getting himself to that position wouldn't be so easy.

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He slipped behind the closest tree, catching a glimpse of the teacher in front. The tail of purple hair that cascaded down her shoulders made his stomach lurch. That wasn't his teacher. Nevertheless he persisted. There was an abnormally tall kid standing at least a metre from him. From the back there were particles sliding from his hair onto the ground where it melted like snowflakes. Tommy frowned. Who were all these new people?

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"Thomas"

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He yanked his hand back behind the tree trunk but it was pointless.

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"Are you listening?" she repeated. He revolved around it and leant his shoulder against the bark, folding his arms. 

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"Yes" he crossed his ankles, trying to give the impression that he had been there from the start, "ma'am"

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"Then I suppose you know we have your results?" her shaded lips snaking the sentence into existence.

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He scoffed. "Yeah" her dark gaze lingered before she faced crowd again. 

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"Well then-" he broke his façade and let his jaw drop. Results? Those were not supposed to arrive for another month. He worked hard on those tests for an entire year and they simply marked it in a week and were handing them out? He searched for Tubbo who was already trying to get his attention. They stared at each other with equal surprise.

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"Does that mean they're grouping us today?" Tubbo mouthed.

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Tommy shrugged. "I hope not" The teacher said otherwise.

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"-split you into groups according to your results" 

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No. He turned back to Tubbo. "No" 

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The boy shrugged back. "Relax"

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How could he relax? This wasn't supposed to happen now, and not today of all days. He tried to take Tubbo's advice and breathed.

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"We have three main groups. Swordsmanship, alchemy and weaponry. We've added a group because the results varied. Weaponry involves forging weapons, both traditional and new. The history of it will be continued and you will create your ideas for our newest armies and yourself. Archery will also be moved to swordsmanship." 

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That was probably due to the lack of teachers. Many of them were disappearing and the more that were gone, the more students were left to fend for themselves. Adults were either captured or killed but either way, it was not good. He remembered a younger teacher explaining the importance of their classes. "This is for self defence. We won't always be here to protect you and when they reach us, you need to be prepared." He stalked toward the crowd. Maybe grouping them today wasn't a bad thing. 

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"The list will begin with swordsmanship and the names will start from the highest score, descending. First-"

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An above average score in swordsmanship was the one thing he aimed for. He vaguely remembered tips from another man that taught him to hold a wooden sword at 2 years old. Wilbur never told him who it was but everything that guy said was true, and he used it even now. He wondered where he was...Or who he was-

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"Thomas Watson"

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The boy from earlier nudged him. "Ow you lil-"

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His eyes made him swallow his words. One green and red eye glowed threateningly at him. "What do you want?"

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"There" the boy whispered deeply. There was a surprising contrast between the violence in his eyes and the peacefulness of his voice.

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"Thomas Watson" Tommy swivelled and stuck his hand into the air.

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"Here" he shouted. 

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"The boy beside him laughed. "They're not taking register. You're first"

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"We don't have all day, Thomas" she called again.

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"First in what, sorry?"

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The boy smiled. "Swordsmanship"

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He frowned but Tubbo's hands were on his back, shoving him through the crowd until they were in front. He slapped him on the arm, but it felt friendly.

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"Good job, big man" he grinned. He stood, bamboozled and only became more confused when the teacher _winked_ at him.

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It was only when the line was complete that he realized he was in front, being led to training. "Wait" He spun around, finding Tubbo with his thumbs in the air, rows of white teeth shining in the sunlight. Joy pricked his lips. No way he was-

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"I'm first"

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"That was absolute bullshit"

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The grass had dried. Tubbo could smell it- the faint smell of dew on the burning grass and the flower's delight in the sunshine. Tommy lay in these scents but didn't seem as pleased as he was. Tubbo dropped near his friend and mimicked his position. Elbows facing opposite cardinal points, palms beneath his head and spine to the soil.

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"I thought today was pretty good" And that was the plain truth, but he wasn't sure if he was referring to their earlier argument with Wilbur or his training.

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Tommy scoffed. "Being split like that? Who does that teacher think she is, being all new and separating- I knew getting our results early were too good to be true- I should have the right to make them recheck it"

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Oh. It was about not being the same class. He guessed Tommy didn't hear the teacher' explanation.

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"We will see each other"

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Tommy immediately disagreed. "No. They'll keep us busy with individual work that neither of us will understand. They'll use us like their little wizarding gems they keep in their pockets except we all work different at different times and we won't be able to do anything together anymore. This is the final stage, Tubzo. They've marked us out for the future and I wanted to face it with you-"

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He pressed his palms into his eyes. "This is bullshit"

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Tubbo didn't mean to but he laughed. It wasn't hilarious but it was funny, seeing Tommy stressed over absolutely nothing.

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"If you listened more the world would be easier to perceive."

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Tommy's golden hair creased as he turned his head. "What?"

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"We're in the same class, stupid."

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"WHAT?"

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Tubbo smiled at the sky, tempted to drift off into a daydream.

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"What do you mean? You weren't in line with me."

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"I had above average in swordsmanship and top 5 for alchemy so they put in in both categories. A lot of kids got similar results but they preferred me to stay behind to begin alchemy. I start swordsmanship tomo-" He was yanked up into an embrace. He felt Tommy's breathe of relief and the boy eased in his arms.

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"You honestly panic for no reason at all"

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"You're lucky. I was about to go tell that teacher off." They laughed.

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"Her name is Minx. Call her that or else she might tell you off"

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Tommy pulled away. "I'd like to see her try." There it was. The fire in his eyes-the look that made him appear to have conquered the world. They grinned at each other manically as if they had just successfully murdered the King or found the princess. The image of the girl earlier in the woods played on his mind. If it wasn't for the emergency message from Phil, he would have thought it was the princess herself. Maybe it was nothing.

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He leant a hand to Tommy. "We should go make it up to Will with our results and wait for Phil, yeah?" He accepted, his face already bearing an apology.

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"Let's go"

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a written as a stress reliever from school. Us students know how the academic year goes so if this was written poorly I apologise. ;(  
> I promise that this isn't for nothing though and neither is Wilbur's drama. Tank you for the kudos and comments it really makes my day.<3 Truly
> 
> *whispers* also like why did my fundy short story get to half the hits of this story in a few weeks im so confused


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno feels bad and it only gets worse.
> 
> tw: mentions of blood and wounds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There hasn't been much Niki and Techno so here you go!

Technoblade felt guilty. It was a feeling he was familiar with- the constant biting of his bottom lip and twitching of his fingers. He wished he could get it out of his head and move forward or focus on something else but it was like the constant ticking of a clock. It was always there. Sometimes you would here it and sometimes you wouldn't. 

Darkness fell upon the forest again, moonlight illuminating their small wooden house. It started as a place to stay whenever he left home. It was normal for him to leave home for months to help with attacks on nearby villages, and often his help was required further from home. This started as a home away from home, a place he could gather himself before leaving to journey for another long distance. Where it began as a home for one, it became a place for two. It was finished in similar colours to their surroundings to blend into the forest. He took pride in it, and rightfully so. When he was told that it would be used for a greater purpose, he took more time to complete the build until it was flawless.

He reached the small staircase and his gaze lingered on the small potted plant outside. He sighed. Niki didn't deserve his mental outbursts. It could become frustrating at times, remembering his past and how much he wanted it back but Niki needed him. He could hear it in her whimpers at night and see on the scars along her arms and neck. Royalty hated her. The castle in its entirety hated her for her beliefs but she had yet to meet the ones who wanted her back. The only thing he could do was prepare her to take back her throne. He wanted to do it himself and if he could. The kingdom would have already been burnt to ashes but he couldn't. It was hers and hers alone to conquer but he would have her back she did it. Until then, his personal agenda would wait.

Technoblade swung open the door.

Freshly baked loaves caught his attention, along with a pile of shredded sugarcane. The smell wafting through the air reminded him of how hungry he was. Talking to the voice in his head had the tendency to consume energy faster. He smiled at the figure near the fireplace.

Niki was faced away from him, her head against the wall and a newly sewn journal in her lap. Her breathing was steady as he paced toward her. Pale strands of hair covered her closed eyelids. It reminded him of how fragile she used to appear.

"I can't do this" she would say, her dagger clenched in her white knuckled fist. Her hair was cropped and matted across her forehead. A fresh cut gleamed along her shoulder.

"Maybe"

She lifted her head with glossy eyes.

"Or maybe not. Either way a fight will come and you will need to defend yourself, regardless of whether you can do it or not." The words were harsh at the time, but true. He'd lunge forward again and the instincts he implemented in her kicked in. Their everyday practices picked up a pace until she could breathlessly swoop beneath his arm and force him to the ground, dagger pressed to his throat. She'd learnt her signature move quickly.

Warm fingers circled his wrist. "Techno?" Niki murmured

He focused back to her now open eyes. "I'm here"

She nodded in acknowledgement of his presence and gently tugged him next to her. He unclicked his strap of weapons and positioned himself next to her. Techno emitted a stronger bodily heat then her, balancing their temperature to a comfortable sleeping condition. The fireplace was honestly unnecessary.

"I'm sorry" she whispered as she shifted closer beneath his chin. He ran his fingers through her black hair.

"What for?"

"I shouldn't have gone without telling you. You looked so worried." her knees fell into his lap. 

_Oh_ He was too busy thinking about what he did wrong that he forgot she was probably feeling guilty too. He had been worried. Although her trained her with every weapon imaginable he feared her safety. If anything happened to her it was his responsibility. She didn't know this but it didn't give him a right to overthink everything. Everything, however, was still questionable. The reasons he was helping her, the reasons he left his family, the wizard's voice in his head...But she didn't know this either.

"I'm not here to take away your freedom. You're a friend I will protect, but I will never keep you locked away."

She nodded in his arms. 

"I also wanted to thank you for the heartstring again"

She twirled it between her fingers. Slight longing panged his heart.

"Just look after it for me. It means a lot."

"You didn't have to give it to me if it means something to you. I don't want to take it if-"

"You need it more than me" he rubbed her arm to show he mean it. "Besides, if I had given you something like my axe, I would probably ask for that back."

She scoffed. "I have yet to even pick it up, Techno."

"If it wasn't for your small stature I can guarantee you could wield it." 

"I am not small." she pouted. "You know I can beat you in a fight."

"With a weapon maybe, but in a fist fight I would only need my finger." 

"Really now?" she asked playfully as if the challenge had been thrust upon her. "And how would you do that?"

"Mm, fairly easy." he lifted his finger in demonstration and tapped her forehead. He dragged it along her nose, her mouth and her eyes followed until he quickly pricked her side. She squealed and wiggled out of his reach.

"No" she said firmly and crawled back but he was quick. His grin was maniacal as he stalked her like a lion. Laughter burst from her throat in a matter of seconds. 

N-no ss-to-OP" she cried between breathes. She was hysterical on the floor as Techno took little energy in seeing her light up again. He gave a short break, "See, I-" but it was all she needed to grip his forearms, place her barefoot to his chest and throw him over her head. 

"Aha" Niki panted, the wild smile to tight across her lips. Her head appeared over his and they stared at each other upside down.

"I didn't know you could do that" he said wide-eyed.

"I did" she grinned. He grinned equally as he grabbed her torso and raised himself off the floor. She blinked but didn't comprehend his speed in time. He flipped her so that she was against his chest and unable to turn around- locking her in a firm grip.

"no no no- NO" she laughed, and the tickling continued until he let her breathe again. 

"Why are you humans so vulnerable?" he questioned as they lay next to each other on the floorboards. 

"Coming from a ticklish dragon." she snorted.

"I'm not" She shrugged and raised herself. She tossed her journal onto her desk and fetched something from a drawer before positioning herself behind Techno. His eyes followed her hands and the gold thread between her fingers. She hadn't used that to braid his hair before. The end result would be appealing. He raised his head onto her lap, allowing her to gather his hair. Her fingers threaded themselves at the back of his head and he shivered.

"I've felt you flinch when I braid your hair."

He raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't mean I'm ticklish." 

The midnight blue look in her eyes meant it didn't matter because she had already won. Any other day, he would have challenged it but he was mentally exhausted and her touch lulled him off to sleep. "Whatever you say." 

***

It woke him up. Not the nightmares he usually had, or the smell of food. Not even the sunlight made him jolt out of bed. It was the shattering of glass and the sudden silence. The fire died and a pitch blackness enveloped the entire room. Techno reached for his axe hung from the wall but the hook was empty. A cold breeze swept through the open door and the moonlight illuminated axe carvings dragged along the floorings, leading outside.

"NIKI?"

His ears pricked at the muffled scream.

Blood pounded in his ears. He reached for the crossbow he kept beneath the table and raced out to a raven haired man. In his right hand was Techno's axe, the enchantments shining mockingly toward his chest and in his left grip, a girl's head was strangled in his elbow. Niki's legs swung helplessly into the air.

"Stop right there." The intruder warned.

"Techno!" Niki cried.

"I said shut it" the man tightened his hold and he saw her breathing shallow. Techno raised his hands.

"Stop, don't hurt her!"

The man's eyes darted to Techno's weapon.

"Drop the crossbow" 

Techno locked eyes with the man. His face was familiar- it felt like it was threaded at the back of his mind, entangled with memories of his childhood. He couldn't care less.

_I can take the shot_

The wizard must have sensed his panic because his voice rang in his head. _don't_

Technoblade's eyes dashed to his surroundings. Trees, a stranger with his axe and Niki.

_Niki_

_trust me, you won't make it_ the wizard sounded desperate in his true voice.

 _why not_ his finger ghosted over the trigger. His anger was overflowing and he was sure it was showing from beneath the mildly panicked face he wore.

_Because you don't know this man's powers_

Techno stopped short. He squinted at the man in dark, glowing armour. It had a purple tint and was unlike the enchanted diamond axe he held. Everything about him seemed human and he didn't sense anything strange.

 _Let me take the shot_

Niki must have read his gaze because she whimpered beneath the strangling grip. "Techno, I-" The man laughed.

"TECHNO" He stepped forward, dragging Niki along before bending to talk into her ear. His voice remained loud. "The man that opposed the King's armies. The person who kept the princess away from her throne" Niki flinched. "Is that you?" He ran his eyes across Techno's vulnerable body. 

"How did you do it? How did you take down my brothers in one blow, hmm?" He laughed again except it contained no amusement. "How? What are you?"

When Techno didn't answer his voice grew louder. "WHAT ARE YOU? COME ON." he shoved Niki aside and she hit the ground, breaking her fall against a redwood tree. The assumed knight raised his weapon toward her spine as she turned away from him.

"Show me what you are, Techno!" Before his swing hit, Techno sent a gust of wind to trip the knight. It gave him enough time to race toward him and catch the handle of his axe mid air. It set ablaze in his hand but it was all he could do with his powers as an elementalist dragon. If he took his true form he would draw the attention of midnight hunters but if he didn't do anything...

"Niki!" he fired the arrow in his crossbow and it bounced off the man's armour. Techno tossed it to Niki, hoping she could do something with it. 

"GO" She obeyed.

He raised his axe to swing but the weapon the knight opposed him with the least expected. A fiery arrow was strung into a bow, pointed to Niki's runaway figure. The knight smiled in the darkness before letting it fly. It happened too fast. The skip of his heartbeat and then his lunge. His scales protruded from his skin for a second, allowing him enough momentum to spring forward and take the arrow. 

The consequences caused darkness to creep into his vision. He didn't feel the fire burn his skin. He didn't allow the iron tip of the arrow to cause him pain.

The enemy stalked toward him. Techno's axe must have fallen because when he swung his arm the knight creeping toward him , he simply caught his wrist and twisted. _That_ he felt. He groaned and twisted in an attempt to make the pain more bearable. Why did he feel so weak? He tried snapping the wood of the arrow. Techno could feel its poison linger on his skin and the blood seep through his shirt. It was a small wound but it _hurt_ His vision was hazy as he inspected it, dripping with black ichor. What enchantment did it have? As if he spoke aloud, the man gripped his hair and forced his head back. 

"It's dragon poison." he shoved Techno to the forest floor and aimed the dull end of the axe to his head. "And if you survive this and would like revenge, call for Sapnap." 

The swing hit.

***

"PHIL! Phil he's burning it-"

Tommy laughed at his brother. "Oh yea, and what would you have done if Phil wasn't here?" he raised the blackened vegetable in the air. He stumbled against the granite counter as a hand reached for his.

"Lucky for you, I am here mate." 

"Aw but Phil-" 

Phil interrupted him with a breathe of cold air, frosting the burnt potato in his palm.

"Tommy why can't you just use the oven?" He nodded toward the tray of blackened food.

"Because it wouldn't be fun. See!" The young blonde fisted a new potato in his hand and it set alight. Before he could control his fire, the item turned to ash. 

"I'm going to make you eat that." Wilbur huffed. He watched the smirk spread across his son's lips.

Phil laughed. "How have you not burnt the house down by now."

They both scoff. "You ask me as if I know what I was doing right."

"He'd make me eat with Tubbo."

"No, you left with Tubbo to study and came back late. You ate there without me-"

"OH" Tommy grabbed Will's arms and shook him. "I forgot!"

Wilbur's eyes widened at the sudden physical contact. "Forgot what?" Tommy turned to Phil with a set of sparkling whites. He never remembered him smiling this much. 

"Tubz and I got our results back."

Wilbur raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought it would be another month."

"That's what I said but Phil, you won't believe how good I am." He practically bounced from side to side, waiting for Phil to guess his achievement.

"I-uh"

"I was placed first in swordsmanship!" The two older men stood silent. Wilbur spoke first.

"What?"

"I did it! I was actually expecting to be placed above average and we were late for class when this new teacher started announcing shit and then Tubbo was leading me to the front- oh and there was this strange looking fella who had elvish, faerie particles but he was way to tall to be elvish so-"

Wilbur stopped him by pulling him into a hug. 

"Why the hell didn't you tell us sooner?" he said in in brother's blonde curls. Tears swelled in his eyes but he didn't let them fall. The day he cried for Tommy would be the day humanity died and he would not let humanity die today.

"I said I forgot! And if this is to make up for Phil coming home before I did I'm still gonna beat your ass."

Will faced Tommy and gripped his shoulders. He searched his great blue eyes, swallowed in joy and its own world.

"I'm proud of you."

Tommy's smile grew, and he could tell he accepted the congratulation. 

"Fuck off" he swatted his hands away. Phil stepped forward and patted his son on the back.

"Well done, mate. I knew you could do it."

Tommy's eyes softened. "Thanks dad"

The door opened, revealing the Tubbo's figure. "Sorry I'm late. What did I miss?"

Tommy spun toward his friend's voice. "Tubbo! You made it! Is your family good? What did they need?" He shrugged, entering the room and closing the door behind him.

"Nothing much my sister was-PHILZA!"

Wilbur and Tommy looked at each other before breaking into laughter. Tubbo rushed forward.

"Didn't you tell him Phil was back?"

Tommy scratched the back of his head. "No, we split at the path. His sister called for him."

Tubbo embraced the older man, and Phil laughed. "How you doing Tubbo?"

"Great, great. How was the trip? We were worried." Phil ruffled the boy's mess of brown hair, sighing.

"I was worried too, but I think we should leave it to tomorrow." Tubbo nodded in understanding. It was a long day and Phil had probably suffered the most of it.

"Who's hungry? 'Cause I'm starving." 

Tommy tossed him the a carrot, and nodded to the dinner table. "We're not cooking tonight."

"Aw man. Why? I love cooking." Tommy chuckled and led him out the kitchen. He winked at Wilbur in 'You-get-the-kitchen-today' way. 

Wilbur shook his head and leant against his wings. He didn't mind the strain off his muscles when he did so, and the condition of his feathers afterwards were the last of his interests. Phil noticed this.

"How have you been holding up?" he asked quietly.

"Keeping the house orderly's been easy. Keeping Tommy tamed, not so much." 

Phil laughed but dismissed it. "Sure but I mean, how have _you_ been holding up"

Wilbur dipped his head, automatically rubbing the wrist of his bandages hand. His wings twitched uncomfortably.

"Could be better." he admitted reluctantly.

Phil folded his arms. "I think so too, but it's not your fault, okay? We'll figure out what it is you have and when we do we'll fix it."

Will knew he was referring to his abnormality. He raised his eyes to his father.

"What do you think it is Phil?" They stared at each other. The answer was the same for 20 years, but they hated saying it aloud.

"Whatever it is, I think it has a purpose other than to hurt you." 

He returned the words with an unsure smile. Maybe he was right but the idea of it still formed goose bumps on his skin. This winged disease wasn't this bad before Niki stopped visiting him. When she met him in the woods as 'some girl'' and declared to him on their last night that she was actually the princess, the voices started. When Techno was officially announced missing, the nightmares began. Part of him wanted to blame them, and the other half didn't see any connection to it at all. He ran his hands down his face. It could all just be stress. The nightmares and second person in his head could be because he was alone with heaps of responsibility for so long. Now that Phil was here, it would be fine.

"You're right Phil" he picked up the wooden board of sliced steaks and tipped his head to the table.

"Let's have a Watson dinner again, shall we?"

Phil smiled half heartedly. It felt unfair. It felt like he was betraying Fundy and Technoblade by having a reunion with part of his family, but he still followed Wilbur. His boys were happy to see him, and he wouldn't take this joy away from them by bombarding them with their dire situation. He swallowed as he sat down at the head of the table. Fundy will be fine. He knew it by the way he trained the boy and by the orange heartstring that still glowed in its frame. They would just need to plan carefully tomorrow and then they could get their spy back. Will read his expression and raised a glass, interrupting his daydream.

"A toast" he stood, "to Phil's return and to the other's that we have yet to save." 

Tubbo hastily raised his glass, spilling what Phil hoped was juice over his plate. "Yeah! We're coming for you Fundy." Tommy burst into laughter. 

"Save it for the King buddy."

They let their laughter carry throughout the house.

A door slammed.

Everyone's heads spun to the hunched figure in the doorway. It's hand slid down the wood as he fell to kneel, red leaving a trail from his fingers. Phil shot up before he could stop Tubbo who rushed forward at the sight of blood. He slid to a halt and his hand fell to the shoulder of the stranger.

"Tubbo what-"

"He's bleeding out." Without hesitation, Tubbo closed his eyes and white strands of light emitted from his palm. Tommy stepped forward, grabbing a lantern with him. 

"It's some kind of poison in the arrow. He feels like he should be immune to it but this is having different effects than it should." 

"You can FEEL that? Geez, how quick are you?"

"Tommy get used to it and grab something to stop the bleeding." he shouted. Tommy flinched but nodded and ran upstairs. His boys were faster than he thought as the youngest of the house rushed away hesitantly. He, however, didn't comprehend it. It could have been because he hadn't been to his own house in years and things had changed but he didn't know. Whether it was his exhaustion and hunger that kept him from helping the others, he was unsure off. Phil tried to find anything in Wilbur's expression but he was turned away from him. He stood staring even as Phil tried asked him to retrieve towels and bandages. He rested his hand on his son's shoulder. 

"We need to help Tubbo. Will?" there was poorly hidden desperation in his voice.

"He's saying something." Phil's eyes darted to the stranger. Phil didn't see the man's lips move but he heard it- a soft mumbling beneath the loose strands of hair from his braid. Will stepped forward as if he was under the man's spell and raised the lantern Tommy left behind. He rudely cupped the man's chin in his spare hand and lifted it. 

"Will! Be gentle, he's hurt." 

The lantern fell and shattered. 

"T-techno?"

***

Technoblade disappeared the day before Phil set off with Fundy to the kingdom. He left the day before to get the usual last minute supplies but the journey wasn't far. There were no warnings for his disappearance. There was no letter left on the bedroom dresser with words in neat, cursive saying "Goodbye, I won't return for another two years." There wasn't even any signs of him having packed up and left. He was simply...gone. At least, that's what he saw. That's what they told him.

If he had to recall what everyone told him he would call them liars. If he believed what he saw he would slap himself until his pink haired brother vanished from his vision. Tommy dropped the medical kit when he heard Wilbur exclaim a name he knew fairly well. Tubbo snapped his fingers to get his friend's attention again.

"Hold the towel out Tommy." he did so, but hesitantly.

"Did he say Techno? As in Technoblade?"

"We won't know if we don't save him now, will we?" he lowered his voice to address the man. "I can see you tried to pull the arrow head out, but I'm guessing the poison hurts more right?" Techno nodded weakly. "Okay, then it can act as an anaesthetic." 

"Wait, Tubbo what?"

But he already yanked the metal out and Techno growled. Tubbo firmly pressed a cloth to the wound.

"Stitches Tommy." he demanded.

Tommy wrapped the bloody piece and tossed it aside. "What the fuck?!"

"Anytime now Big man."

"Okay okay." he scrounged frantically for a needle and thread. "Here" Tubbo closed Tommy's fingers over it.

"No. You do it."

"WHAT?!" 

"We didn't have classes for nothing."

"Badaba-but why can't you?" Tubbo grabbed him and positioned him to stitch. 

"Because I need to get Wilbur out the way. Phil, do something please?"

"Stop" everyone swivelled to the bloody man on the floor. He raised himself on unsteady feet, the light revealing the red rivulets flowing from his temple. "I'm fine" he stated gruffly.

"No," Tubbo opposed, "You're not."

"Kid, I appreciate it but I walked this far after a concussion. The poison was nothing. I'm partially immune."

"The concussion's already healing."

A smile ghosted his lips. "Good to know."

"Excuse me." Will shoved himself forward. "But you just walk in here and start making friends without a 'hello, I'm back'?" he shook his head at Techno. "Nothing?"

Techno waved reluctantly. "Hello, I'm back."

"Oh my-" he cursed under his breathe and tore his hands through his hair. "I can't believe this."

"Look, Will I'm sor-"

"SORRY?" 

The boys winced at his voice in the corner of the room. Phil felt numb.

"Sorry doesn't cut 2 years of worry Techno" he raised two fingers in Techno's face.

"Two years of thinking you were dead and above all of that, you never said anything. What was that about, huh? You come back and think this is all going to be okay?"

"I had to-"

"You had to fight somewhere else. Right." he dropped his hands. "But you couldn't even stay to fight for us when we needed you." Will stepped back, disgusted. "We needed you Techno. Your father and brothers needed you."

Techno didn't budge. Will didn't understand, and he wouldn't until he made Phil understand. 

Tommy's voice was small from across the room. "Did you say brother?" 

Techno turned his head slightly to get a better look. By now, he was sure his face showed surprise. He barely saw Tommy when he was younger and never got watched him grow. He was assigned missions too often. Wilbur saw his eyes grow wider.

He scoffed. "Oh yea. Tommy, meet your older brother Technoblade! Slayer of the King's men-"

"Will stop." Phil started. He could _feel_ Wilbur's sarcasm drip with hatred. 

"Man who never cared-"

"Will."

"Ever wonder where you got your skills from Tommy? Look no further-"

"STOP" 

Will's tongue grinded to a halt. He bit his tongue.

"Upstairs, all of you." Phil ordered. He never imagined Techno coming back like this but if this was what it came down to, he would control it. Tommy was too pale to protest and was the first to comply. Will purposefully knocked into Techno's shoulder on the way and Tubbo gaze Phil a look of apology before grabbing some food for everyone upstairs. They hadn't touched their meal but who could eat when the world was in chaos.

Techno kept his gaze on his father as he pulled a chair and sat opposite him. 

"Why are you here?"

The look on Techno's face displayed hurt at his authorative tone.

"I'm sorry." he started.

"Doesn't answer the question."

Techno's head fell and he sighed. He could feel the tears begin to well. "I left against my will. It wasn't planned."

Phil frowned but sat back. 

"What I'm telling you now is something I was not allowed to speak off, and this is probably going against what I was told to do too but.."

He curled his fingers into his hair, resting his elbows on the table. He could barely feel his wound as he struggled to get the words out.

"I've been protecting Niki for the two years I was gone. There was a wizard that caught me on my trip home and told me I would encounter the princess. It didn't make sense at the time because she ran away a month ago, no one could find her and there was already a King in her place. You were going with Fundy to stop him after all, right."

Phil nodded. 

"True to his word, when I stayed over at my secret house?-I don't even know what to call it anymore- she stumbled across my place. She was hurt and clearly hadn't looked after herself all those days she was missing, so I helped her. The wizard returned that night, blabbering about how it was my duty to protect her."

He pulled the bloody collar of his shirt down to reveal a burn mark. "He's in my head now Phil. He tells me what to do so that it keeps in line with a prophecy, but.." his hands dropped open on the table. His palms were speckled with the gold thread Niki used to braid her hair. The salt from his tears reached his tongue. He didn't realize he was crying.

"I failed, Phil. She's been taken back to her kingdom against my will. My one job was to protect her until she was ready to take the throne, and I failed...I don't know what to do."

Phil rocked back in his chair. It pained him to see Techno hurt. His story sounded true and his sorrow grew when he thought back to Wilbur's outburst. His tone didn't sound apologetic.

"Why don't you ask your wizard friend?" 

Techno fisted his forehead. "I don't want to listen to him. He told me not to shoot that knight. I could have taken the shot." He snarled, his bottom canines forcing his lip to curl, "He's going to have a grand surprise when he finds out I'm taking revenge on his sick-" he rambled off into unheard cussing. Phil watched his anger and sadness boil. Techno clawed his hair and seemed to hold the floodgates especially when he ran his fingers across the small braids in his hair. He didn't know what he'd been through or the immense responsibility he felt when the world was thrusted on his shoulders but he knew his son.

Phil stalked toward Techno, who didn't raise his head when Phil's shadow loomed over him. He gently tugged him into his arms, the same way he did with Wilbur.

"I'm sorry, Phil. I wanted to come back home so bad, but they wouldn't let me. I wasn't a prisoner I just.."

"It's okay." Techno buried his face in his father's chest and clawed at the back of his robes. 

"We'll get Niki back." He could guarantee this because this was the common goal they were working towards all these years. Even if Techno kept Niki hidden, it was because of a prophecy. The wizard that gave Techno the prophecy sounded like he knew the future and was trying to direct everything to the right outcome. In his experience, prophecies were correct so if they were going to press forward, he needed plan carefully. 

"This would be a lot easier if we knew who the wizard was."

He didn't hear Techno's mutter. "I know who he is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was a quick one. might edit later or smth but it was a great family reunion, right?
> 
> ....
> 
> right...


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niki is back 'home'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayup. New, short chapter alert.

The windows were open, allowing a breeze into the highest room in the castle. The smells that the wind carried from the villages were sweet to some but bitter to Niki. She kicked the blankets off her bed and fell, marble floors cooling her palms. 

"No" she raised her head to the barred window. Niki tripped over her night dress as she stumbled toward it.

"No. no. NO" Her people scuttled under the new morning. Knights guarded the main gates. Children's laughter were distant as her nails scraped the wooden window sill. 

She was back. 

She didn't hear her bedroom door open but she did feel the light touch on her shoulder. Niki spun, ready to throw a punch but the servant ducked. 

"Woah, easy your Highness" Niki wanted to vomit at the way she was addressed. "I'm not going to hurt you"

Silks and dresses were draped over the woman's arm and her white locks made her look innocent. The servant's surprise settled as she smoothed her skirts down. 

"That's what they all say" Niki spat. She avoided eye contact and made her way to the mirror. She didn't want to deal with this. The servants were just the start. There would be knights and nobles and rulers next. Kings and que- _queens..._ Niki shook herself off it.

"Who are you?" The woman smiled behind her. 

"I'm Puffy." She shrugged and grinned. As much as Niki internally liked the name, she didn't show any signs of it. Niki pinched the fabric of her gown, trying to distract herself on the horrid room. _her_ room.

"Why am I here?" she didn't know what kind of answer she was going to get but she wanted to see what this woman thought of her. Puffy frowned, clearly confused. She turned to the closed bedroom door before stepping forward.

"They said you were found hurt." Puffy reached out and gently pulled Niki's hair back. A tender scar ran across her neck. Last night's events invaded Niki's mind.

"They brought you back and only later found out that you were the Queen." 

Niki swallowed. Whoever 'they' was, was lying. She remembered it all. She remembered seeing Techno's worry-the worry she never wanted him to have. She felt the knight pick her up and her instincts forced her to reach for Techno's axe. It was heavy, he was right, but one swing and the knight dodged it easily. She remembered what he did. His limp body fell heavily into the ground whilst the stranger chased her until she too was knocked out. _she remembered what. he. did._

"You Highness?" 

"Don't" Niki crawled away from the woman's touch. "Don't listen to them."

Instead of a protest, Puffy stepped forward again and brought her hand up to whisper. "Did they bring you against your will?"

Niki's eyes widened as the door burst open. The man from last knight stood in the doorway. He was clothed in the same armour as last night, except his hands were clear of blood. She shivered. He scanned Niki and she suddenly felt vulnerable. 

"She's supposed to be ready."

Puffy stood straighter and her tone became harder, almost protective. It reminded her of Techno. "Give her more than ten minutes and she will be" They stared each other down before Sapnap turned to leave.

"Ten minutes more. I'm waiting." 

The door closed and Puffy held out the clothes she was carrying. "Unlike them, I won't make you do anything you don't want to." 

Niki bit her lip and scanned the array of dresses. It reminded her too much of what she was forced to wear. She stepped back as if it would jump at her. _hours of seamstresses and measuring her figure, demanding her to eat what they recommended or to starve all for the sake of clothing..._

"Do you have something less.." she picked up the edges of her night gown and crouched into a poor curtsy. Puffy smiled.

"Yeah," she grabbed the pile and tossed it aside, "You're right. This isn't appropriate for fighting." she winked, leading Niki into the closet.

***

Sapnap tossed the dagger into the air. It was quite something, the engravings winding around the handle and a gem embedded and glowing green. It fell off Niki when he carried her back to his horse. She'd probably forgotten about it otherwise she would have used it to defend herself. He scoffed, tucking the item into his belt. Or maybe she was too weak to use it.

The doors opened, revealing Puffy, who curled her lip at him before the shorter female followed. Sapnap raised his eyebrow at her.

"Is that proper attire?" 

Niki had a corset wrapped around her torso and a white blouse lengthened to a skirt beneath it. Her black corset had gold engravings which stood out beneath her navy blue cape. She insisted on it because it reminded her of Techno, and the round, gold clasps were something she could fidget with. At the moment however, she held a posture which Techno used to have no trouble keeping. 

"What _is_ proper attire, Sir Sapnap?"

The knight lifted his chin. He didn't show that he was surprised she remembered his name. She chuckled at his lack of response and continued down the hall, as if she accepted the situation she was in. But Niki didn't. She hated it. Every passage and corridor lead to a room she was threatened or taught or told. Every high wall, every engraving with her family's crest... But she figured that she might as well act like she enjoyed it. The last time she tried to rebel they put her back in her place, telling her that it wasn't what her parents would want. 

Obvious rebellion didn't work, so maybe silent rebellion would.

Sapnap caught up and took the lead, directing Puffy back servant's quarters. She didn't hesitate and tapped her pocket before pointing to Niki's. 

"note" she mouthed. Niki didn't want to check for a message in her pockets while Sapnap was still there, so she kept it in mind. Maybe Puffy wasn't as bad as the other servants.

The Great Hall came into view and Sapnap waited for her before pointing to the throne. "Wait for him there. He wanted a word."

Niki raised an eyebrow. Him? It dawned on her that he was talking about the King. She hadn't really thought about who took the throne after her. Her parents died and she got rushed into becoming the new Queen but after a month she was sick of it and ran away. It didn't occur to her that they actually found someone to rule instead.

"Him. The King." she stated. Images of several power hungry men sped through her mind but none of them suited the position.

"Yes" someone's breathe tickled her neck. She craned her neck, her brother's face haunting the corner of her vision. Her brother-the exiled- Bile rose in her throat. Of all the people-

"The King" Schlatt whispered tyrannically. 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was quick because I am not Niki and cannot run away from my duties (or in this case homework). Hope you enjoyed, kudos appreciated and I'm hungry. Thought I'd just mention it.
> 
> There is a part 2 to this, don't worry I won't forget and yes, Schlatt is Niki's older brother. Will explain later, cya <3


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